


ACT 6 ACT 4: Chasing The World

by calumTraveler



Series: Stargate: Alternia [11]
Category: Hiveswap, Homestuck, Myst Series, Stargate - All Media Types, Stargate Atlantis, Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga), ロード・エルメロイⅡ世の事件簿 - 三田誠 | Lord El-Melloi II Case Files - Sanda Makoto
Genre: Alternate Selves, Don't copy to another site, Episode: s04e01 Adrift, June Egbert too, Lost in space - Freeform, Multi, Occasional Artwork, Occasional Musical Content, Replicators (Stargate), Stable Time Loops, Time Travel, Trans Characters, Trans Roxy Lalonde, Wraith (Stargate), an ACROBATIC PIROUETTE off of some kind of handle, parallel timelines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2020-11-07 13:49:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 40
Words: 134,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20818316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calumTraveler/pseuds/calumTraveler
Summary: They're not following the Script. They're not following the Story.You're the one who sees how it all falls out and here they are not following it.This isn't how it's supposed to go.You have to make it follow the pattern, even if they'll hate you for it.The Show Must Go On.





	1. PREVIOUSLY ON STARGATE(STUCK)...

**Author's Note:**

> >>NEW READERS! LOOK HERE! OLD READERS, WELCOME BACK! YOU CAN SKIP THIS!!<<
> 
> If you're intrigued by this, I'd highly recommend going to start back at the beginning even if you're not much of a fan of Stargate or Homestuck. I've done my best to make sure that this story is approachable from all angles and all points of entry as best as I can.
> 
> That said, if you're continuing on without wanting to go into the backlog, I can perfectly understand that, but you *really* should go back AT THE VERY LEAST to Act 6 Act 1. That said, here's a list of...
> 
> THINGS TO KNOW!
> 
> HOMESTUCK: Non SBURB A.U. Everything else- Powers, Time Shenanigans, and Ectobiology- has been put to use. Important details will be re-mentioned as necessary, but to TL;DR the important stuff for Atlantis: Jade Jackson is Jade Harley, Argo Lalonde is Davepetasprite, and John Sheppard is John Egbert. Trolls from Hiveswap are basically any Alternian you might run into at this point. NO, the Skaianet website lore from January of 2019 is *NOT* canon to this timeline- YES, the EPILOGUES have gotten explored a bit, but I'm pretty much done with that going forwards unless Pesterquest gives me something new to chew on.
> 
> Stargate-Verse: Generally follows the Series timeline, but things have gone off the rails in places. Current SG-1 team roster is Cameron Mitchel, Jonas Quinn, Jude Harley, Cassandra Fraiser, and Vala. SG-1 as a series is finished. Jack and Sam got married last Act. We're thick of it in the back half Stretch of Atlantis, now. Continuum is going to be ACT 6 ACT 5. 
> 
> Obduction: Not on the series tag this act but there are no Space Pineapples, and their version of Earth is not in play. Meanwhile, the other three Alien Races, the Mofang, Villein, and Arai Beetles, have been included and show up, or get background mentions, at various points.
> 
> Myst: The D'ni Restoration Council is working hard at home on Earth. The D'ni of Releeshan and the D'ni of Aincrad are working together and are going to send people to Atlantis. Linking Books are a THING. Yeesha might visit from time to time.
> 
> Sword Art Online: Aincrad exists not as a game, but as a physical location in a Parallel Universe. Alfheim similarly exists as a parallel world. For now.
> 
> Fate Franchise: Basically Artoria Pendragon was SG1!Earth's King Arthur, and was aided by SG1's Merlin/Morgan. She is presently in status unknown after being possessed by Damara. Mordred is still her son through shenanigans and is working with SG-1. Waver Velvet/Lord El Melloi II is a D'ni Lord in this timeline, and Gray is [Mysterious/Redacted Spoilers] who serves as a Bahro-English Translator. 
> 
> Other Minor Things: If you see an Alternian or Human or even a whole *concept* like Megazords or Mobile suits and it seems to be exported wholesale or expy-ized from another setting, it's 99.9% certainly me making a reference to that setting while not entirely importing it wholesale as a parallel universe. Included among this has been a couple characters lifted from RWBY, as an example, who have had some minor recurring roles or cameos. Basically, not things majorly present enough for me to feel like they belong on the fandom tags.
> 
> CHAPTER HEADERS AND TAGS:
> 
> SGA: Chapters that would fall under the Atlantis TV series production order.  
ALT: Chapters that would fall under the "Alternia" series production order, if it were a TV series.  
INTERMISSION: Any chapter with this basically falls inbetween the cracks of the above.  
INTERVIEW: A chapter that has an Interview as its primary focus. (Might be Discontinued as well.)  
MINISODE: A single snipit or scene that, for various reasons, would otherwise be left on the Cutting Room Floor.

_Woolsey snapped at the other IOA reps, "**Well, maybe if your predecessors hadn't forced their wills onto Atlantis causing a disaster that cost us the chance to own a Wraith Cruiser and capture a wanted intergalactic criminal organization, then maybe we wouldn't be in this mess of a political situation to begin with!**"_

* * *

_"Uh, Captain Elwurd?" A a shy Mofang began. "Our sensors just detected a small vessel buzzing around the rear hyperdrive emitters."_

_"It's probably a malfunction," Ewlurd decided._

_"Our weapons systems just went offline." And then the lights dimmed on the bridge. "Annnnd we just lost sensors, internal and external annnnd..."_

_And the air suddenly stilled._

_"Let me guess," Elwurd scowled. "We just lost life support?"_

_Then, the ship rocked from a massive explosion._

_"What the fuck was that!?" would be Elwurd's final words, as the next in a series of secondary explosions rocked through the Hiveship's bridge._

* * *

_Well in the distance away from the exploding Hiveship, a Wraith Cruiser and a F-302 watched the fireworks._

_"You know," John voiced, "I think we hit something critical there."_

_"Yep," Scott agreed. "Lots of something critical. I'd bet they were storing fireworks inside or something."_

_"Probably fireworks, yeah," Ford scoffed. "Idiots forgot to properly secure them in cargo, left them in the hanger bay."_

_"That's one hell of a bang, either way," John remarks._

* * *

_Aiden Ford burst into a Wraith Prison Cell, and freed the Wraith soon to be called Michael._

* * *

_Aiden Ford suddenly teleported into the space station, jamming a needle into Carson Beckett's Neck, and withdrawing a large amount of blood before zapping away with nobody else able to do anything._

* * *

_"Who's the new guy?" Michael asks._

_"Which one?" John asks._

_"The man with the short haircut," Michael clarifies._

_"Who, Kanaan? On the left?" John asks._

_"Yes, him," Michael says. "He seems familiar to me somehow."_

_"You've probably seen him around the village before," John says. "He's one of the leaders of the whole place, after all."_

_"It's... more than that," Michael says. "...I think another me in another world did something to him. I feel... regret. Jealousy. It's... Hard to tell."_

_Michael frowns. "...Do you think I should apologize to Kanaan?'_

_"For what? Something your other selves did in another world?" John frowns._

* * *

_Teyla and Kanaan cuddle in bed together._

* * *

_Rose Egbert stole the Shaper Crystal, and used it on her Brother, John Egbert, to try and make him look more like herself._

_The Shaper Crystal took it far too literally._

* * *

_"Kanaya?" you then ask the question that's now edging on your mind after that latest data dump, "Did you intentionally hold back doing anything for Mordred when he broke his shoulder?"_

_"Not by my decision," Kanaya answers. "Doctor Carolyn Lam ordered me to wait a week to perform the healing so Mordred could remember the pain and try to avoid doing anything that would cause similar injuries in the future."_

_You facepalm, "Fucking Hell, Carolyn."_

* * *

_"What are you saying?" Carolyn asks._

_"I'm saying if you'd let Kanaya heal Mordred immediately instead of waiting a week, I might not have to deal with the headache nightmare of trying to figure out whether or not I can trust the Shaper Crystal to continue to act as a healing tool and not a randomly lesson dealing random transforming macguffin!"_

* * *

_"The Apollo will be bringing the Ruby Lancers back as well," you explain. "Okurii's approved them to be permanently stationed with Atlantis for the foreseeable future."_

_"We get our own mechs PERMANENTLY?" Argo laughs. "Finally! It was so annoying having them just sitting on the Daedalus doing nothing after the Siege."_

* * *

_"So... Let me get this all straight in my head," Rodney Mckay Narrates, "Alfheim's Magic Curse is really a faulty Jump Drive leaking radiation- built inside an Atlantis style city ship that got frozen under miles of ice and is now slowly thawing out, and- they made their own handy dandy version of the Bio-plague that wiped out the D'ni of our Earth?"_

_Lord Waver El Melloi the Second nods to the Bahro translator, Grey._

_"Thus, they want to evacuate Alfheim and use it as a death trap for: One: a small subset of the Bahro that want to kill everyone for mingling dimensions together. And Two: the Aschen of Aincrad's dimension because the Goa'uld got tired of doing things on their own?"_

_Commander Asuna Yuki stands at the conference table._

_"And they want Mikari to run- a Ten Times as big Castle Ship that they can put all of Earth and Alfheim's populations on- and because the IOA wants Mikari to leave Atlantis so she can run the thing, they're all going to approve the idea?"_

_Mikari Aiikho stares at the folder sitting infront of her, shock in her eyes._

_"And ontop of ALL OF THAT! The IOA is playing politics trying to get as much control over the pie as they can, but ONLY for their specific countries because they can't even co-operate THAT much to make it so they all benefit instead of just their singular countries? Am I getting the overall jist of how messed up this entire situation is?"_

_Teal'c rumbles out an "Indeed, it is quite the mess."_

* * *

_You are now Daraya Jonjet, and you and Mallek arrive in the conference room, where you take your seats next to Keiko and Tyzias and Major Lorne._

_Colonel Ellis seals the room, and he begins. "As you know, ever since the first encounter with the Human Form Replicators of this Galaxy, the Daedalus has made regular reconnaissance fly-bys of their home world."_

_Ellis brings up a slide._

_"Ships," Mallek observes._

_"Lots and lots of ships," you agree._

* * *

_Ellis narrates: "In precisely twelve hours, the Apollo, in consort with your team, will launch a surgical strike on the Replicator Homeworld."_

_The Apollo launches a nuclear warhead towards the Replicator Homeworld._

_Moments later, six blue fireballs rage across the planet's surface._

* * *

_"What's the situation, Chuck?" Tyzias asks._

_"Contact out of hyperspace," Chuck answers._

_Tyzias takes place behind a console, and grimaces. "It's barely larger than a Jumper- And it's taking up Geo-synch orbit right over the city."_

* * *

_And so did the Machine declare them obsolete, and deserving of death for their defiance. And he had raised his arm and speared his outstretched hand towards them, sending his influence out as a sickening, gleaming red beam of light that fell from the heavens._

_Doom and Death, he decreed._

* * *

_There's a solid line of red in the night sky, piercing through the sky. And then..._

_"Atlantis, this is Ellis," you hear. "The Satellite is turning towards the planet!"_

_And then you watch as that beam distorts, going from a line in the sky to a line cutting through the sky into the ocean, and... _

_Is it just you or is it getting bigger?_

_Nope, it's definitely getting bigger and its cutting a line through the ocean, rising steam as it goes, as it comes straight for the city of Atlantis._

* * *

_Several minutes to half an hour later- a reply transmission comes through._

_Behold, the grim face of the Replicator Councilman OBEROTH._

_"Well," Keiko starts. "I wasn't expecting you to be on the other end of this, Oberoth. But I'm not surprised."_

_"Miss Ayano," Oberoth counters. "Why would you not be surprised?"_

_Keiko later counters with, "You were building warships. You honestly can't say you didn't see something like this coming."_

_"Ships to combat the Wraith," Oberoth says. "You say you had no choice? We say the same."_

* * *

_"We haven't put out a City Wide Alert yet, trying to quell the panic, but... the Linking Books aren't working."_

_"...What?" _

* * *

_"...We submerge it," Zelenka says, firmly, and out of the blue._

_"I'm sorry?" Ellis asks. "Submerge what?"_

_"The City," Tyzias says. "We submerge the fucking City like the Ancients did."_

* * *

_"The beam is punching through the water with much more efficiency than we predicted," Zelenka reports._

_"Okay, what's plan C?" _

* * *

_Tyzias narrates, "This here is a little beauty I'd like to call 'C04-5H17D,' Or, Covering Our Atlantis Shield. And it's juuuust long enough and girthy enough of a fragment that if we have a flight of F-302s guiding it into the lasers path, we fuck up the beam's transmission, giving Atlantis the all clear to take off without strain on the shields."_

_Lorne's flight of F-302s does just that, dragging a very long asteroid straight into the path of the satellite's laser._

* * *

_"C04-SHIELD is entering the beam!" Tyzias reports._

_-The beam cuts out from striking the top of the shield as the city bursts through the surface layer of the ocean, rising high into the air._

_"We're not flying high enough," Tyzias reports. "We're stalling!"_

_"Sure, blame me, we don't have the power!" Keiko answers._

_"Well blame me then!?" Tyzias snaps._

_"It's not working! What other reasons are-!?" Keiko and Tyzias then both blink, and yell- "The Shield!" Then, "Lower it," Keiko orders. "Just for as long as need to get higher!"_

* * *

_Atlantis Rises through the air, raising the shield._

_The asteroid suddenly breaks up as the laser punches through it at the very end, and the beam clips Atlantis' central tower before the shield fully closes around it._

_The main window shatters- sending everyone standing infront of it flying backwards._

_Atlantis escapes to Hyperspace._

* * *

_"I Need a medical team to the Control room, STAT!" Chuck's panicked voice cuts through the air. "Multiple Injuries!!"_

* * *

_"Kanaya?" You glance at the Alternian girl. _

_"I don't know," Keller shakes her head. "She got blasted down the stairs, her pupils are sluggish, Shaper is practically fragmented into her collarbones, and I won't know more until I get her under a scanner."_

* * *

_"Oh What NOW!?" Tyzias yells out as the city rumbles, lights flicker, and---_

_There's a sudden jolt of motion as you drop out of Hyperspace._

_"Where are we?" Teyla asks, suddenly interjecting into a volatile moment._

_"The Middle of Fucking Nowhere!" Tyzias answers. "There's no planets, no moons, no Stargates! We're LOST! NOW SOMEONE GET DARAYA A MEDIC!!!"_

_Doctor Cole comes rushing over, and Tyzias hands the crying, and possibly blinded Daraya over to her, before trying to desperately focus herself._

_"How much power do we have left?" You ask, once she's composed herself._

_"One second..." Tyzias checks... "...Nononono. This can't be right."_

_"What is it?" You ask._

_"At current rate of consumption, we've got 24 hours left. After that, no power at all. No shield, no atmo. No atmo... Nothing."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! Starting things off with a brief recap of important stuff I plan on covering this act, as well as an immediate reminder of where we left things off in the last act. I'm going to go ahead and post this once I'm finished rather than wait for the time zones to change over like I usually do, because it's a freaking recap chapter. LOL
> 
> Anyways. Yeah. Hope you guys enjoy the rest of this fic like you've enjoyed what's come before. Things are... going to happen, that's for sure. 
> 
> \---  
To new readers, Hi! Do you NEED to be familiar with all the source material- IE, Homestuck, Stargate, Fate, Myst, ETC- to be able to enjoy this series? No. Everything is meshed together well enough that it's basically AUs ontop of AUs at this point. Early on I did goof up a bit and skip adapting some important episodes, though, which, uh. Sorry about that. I've done better since then. I never expected this thing to reach over 1.5 million words when I started. >_>;;
> 
> Anyway! Yeah. Welcome aboard. You're in for a wild ride!


	2. SGA:04X01: Adrift (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conclusion. Atlantis is stuck adrift in space following the attack by the Replicators.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music sequence this chapter. It's not obligatory to try and time it out, but damn if it isn't cool if you can manage it.

**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 10TH, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 04/19/0006.**

You are now Doctor Jennifer Keller, and you have no time for any kind of situational summary.

"-She's unresponsive, and her pupils are sluggish," you speak into your radio as you rush Kanaya Maryam through to the infirmary. "I need you to prep the O.R. and have the scanner ready when we get there."

_"We're on it," _Marie answers,_ "The Scanner is moving into position."_

One of the monitors connected to Kanaya starts beeping.

"She's crashing!" A medic reports- you can't remember his name and its not the time.

"LET'S GO GUYS!" You yell, getting onto the gurney and attempting CPR. "I do NOT want to do this in the hall!"

* * *

You are Tyzias Entykk, and you laugh as you get a monitor to reset and start reading information.

Your face stings with the motion from a dozen or so tiny glass cuts, but you got off easy compared to Daraya.

Don't- Don't think about it-

"Okay, here we go!" You start checking on the data that you're getting.

"Did we get City Wide Sensors back online?" Keiko asks.

"Hopefully! Slowly booting them up now," You reply.

"Can we contact the Apollo?" Teyla asks.

"Uhh-" you swear. "No. Not yet. Subspace communications are down. Chuck! Get on that!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Chuck answers.

You hear a spark from where he's working. You don't take your eyes off of the prize of data reports coming into your barely working monitor.

"Shouldn't you be working on it?" Keiko asks.

"Bigger. Fish. To. Fry." you grit out as an anomalous reading comes through. Shit, that can't be right-

"What's more important than Contacting the Apollo?" Teyla asks.

"Fuck!" you swear, reading it over again. "Nononono!!" You head to another station, leaving that alone, and start tapping away at keys.

"What's wrong?" Keiko asks.

"We're losing massive amounts of power!" You swear something fierce as you try to get power controls back online.

"What?" Keiko asks, sounding like she's on the verge of a break you yourself are also orbiting. "How!?"

"The energy drain we were noticing with the shields wasn't just a fluke!" You don't spare a glance away. Cmon, cmon, boot up you stupid program! "And it's just been exasperated with the damage the Tower took!"

* * *

You are Ronon Dex, and you wince as a doctor checks over the glass wedged in your shoulder.

Mallek insisted you get to the infirmary, and escorted you and Daraya both down here. He's keeping an eye on her while-

URGH.

This doctor hesitates.

"Just pull it out," you say.

"I can't do that!" The doctor says. "We have to wait to get you under the scanner to make sure pulling it out won't cause more damage!"

You seethe at him. "PULL. IT. OUT."

"I get it, you're a tough guy, but if you want to pull it out now, just do it yourself!"

And then the Doctor yelps, panicked, as you try to do just that thing.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!"

It's not his shouting that stops you from doing it, it's the sudden sight of Doctor... Keller, yeah, Keller and her team wheeling in Kanaya on a crash cart- a stunned Rose Lalonde trailing after them with shock in her eyes.

You push past the doctor not treating you to follow them.

"On three, ready? One- Two- Three!"

The team transfers Kayana onto an operating table, and Keller is preparing a defibrillator.

...Wait. How did they take longer to get here than you did?

"CLEAR!" Keller charges Kanaya's chest with the paddles,.

Nothing.

"Charging...!"

"Hey," you say to Rose, she doesn't glance away at all. "How are you holding up?"

"I-" Rose swallows. "I don't know."

* * *

You are Radek Zelenka, and you swear as you check the ZPM room's status. "[The problem isn't on this end!]" you report.

"[I don't care where the problem is-]" Tyzias is ranting even as someone hands you a tablet. "[-I want to know WHAT the problem is!]"

"[I've just got that now!]" you swear, reading the data. "[It's the conduits.]"

Tyzias then swears something creative in Alternia, sounding like, "Oh Fuck us with a Vast Glub, why don't you!?"

"[It looks like several of the main conduits were affected by the beam,]" you report, moving to go start shutting down secondary systems.

"[That means we have to-]"

"[Shut down secondary systems, I know! I'm on it!] Whose bright idea was it to fire a nuke at the Replicators again, exactly? Not ours! Nope! But here we are dealing with the aftermath! Wonderful! What a wonderful systematic failure to even plan ahead for a violent response! Fuck you, [IOA,] and your motherless goat parents who themselves were motherless goats!! Fuck all of you with the karma of a thousand swarming spiders crawling into every one of your tiny holes!!"

"[I have no idea what you just said,]" A technician says, "[But I am feeling that mood.]"

* * *

"What's going on?" you are Argo Lalonde, and you decide it's time to take over active duty here because Keiko looks like she's on the verge of a panic attack.

"Every second I waste explaining, we're draining more power! Just let me work!" Tyzias shouts, moving from console to console.

"Okay," you say, and then you move over to Keiko and give her a hug. "It's going to be alright."

Her whole body shakes within your grasp.

"I don't understand, what's draining power?" Teyla asks.

"Everything!" Tyzias snaps. "Every secondary system online right now that doesn't need to be is draining life from our current situation! We aren't even going to last the night if I don't stop them now! _**WHICH IS TAKING FOREVER BECAUSE THESE PROGRAMS ARE NOT RESPONDING! GOD! WHAT A FUCKING WONDERFUL DAY WE'RE HAVING HERE, FOLKS!"**_

* * *

"Come on!" Keller whispers.

* * *

"Come ON!" Tyzias growls.

* * *

"Time?" Keller asks.

"She's been flat for almost two minutes!"

"Come ON Kanaya!" Keller hisses at the unconscious Alternian. "We need you here! Rose needs you!"

And then like magic, a monitor beeps- and you can see the tension drain from the doctors for a moment.

"She's back in V-fib! We hit her again!" Keller charges the paddles. "CLEAR!"

She shocks Kanaya, and then... the Heart Rate monitor starts beeping steadily.

"There we go!" Keller says. "Let's scan before she flats again!"

And as they start to work...

That's when you see a spark of light on Kanaya's chest.

Pink light.

"Doctor Keller?" A nurse starts- having noticed it.

"What now-?" Keller turns her attention just as there's another spark of pink light that dances across Kanaya's body. "Oh for Crying out loud!"

And then there's a burst of pink light that fills the room- washes through the infirmary through the doorway- and then fades.

"Oh fuck!" Keller swore. "Scans! Now!"

Beside you, Rose sighs in visible relief. "Oh thank God..."

"Let's let them work," you say, and drag her over to a nearby bed.

"About time you came back!" And then the annoying Doctor grabs at the shard of glass in your shoulder and yanks the thing out.

** _GAH!_ **

** _FINALLY!!!_ **

* * *

"The Control Grid's out of whack," Tyzias explains. "I can't shut the systems down remotely."

"Why not directly?" You ask, even as Keiko starts practically vibrating in your arms.

"Do we have the time!?" Tyzias asks. "I don't know!"

"Would you rather not try?" Teyla asks.

"...No. Fuck!" She radios. "Zelenka! We need to deploy teams!"

"We'll send military with the scientists incase they run into trouble," you decide. "How much time do you need?"

"I don't know!" Tyzias answers. "What little power we had is almost gone. I don't know if we're going to make it through the night."

* * *

"Holy Shit," your name is Jennifer Keller, and you've just witnessed a miracle of dying alien technology.

Your shocks with the defibrillator brought the Shaper Crystal back to life just long enough for its fragments to pulse through Kanaya's body, and infuse her with enough energy that her wounds are literally starting to heal infront of you.

But the crystal fragments embedded in Kanaya's collar bones are literally evaporating into nothing before your eyes.

"It sacrificed itself."

* * *

[ **o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg)

* * *

You are Morgan Carter, and you rush to the Control Room in the immediate aftermath of the chaos. Jimmyy is on your heels a few moments later.

Tyzias is busy working on something, Teyla looks out of her depth, and... Argo is comforting Keiko, who looks like she's trying very hard not to collapse into a pile of terror at the moment, within Mikari's office.

"What's the situation?" You ask.

Teyla gives you a smile, and takes you aside to explain.

"As we were leaving the planet, the Replicator's laser grazed the side of the tower, and it damaged a great many number of power conduits," Teyla explains. "As the ZPM room is at the base of the tower, the conduits in and around it are primary conduits and cannot be routed around."

"So... parts of the city should be without power then," Jimmyy asks. "Right?"

"No, Tyizas says the conduits weren't severed, merely so much as damaged," Teyla says.

"Oh," you realize. "it's like a leaking pipe. The City's pouring more power through the damaged lines to ensure it gets to the areas that need it, otherwise we'd be dead in the air right now."

"And that's... bad?" Jimmyy asks.

Jolinar huffs, and you let her speak, **"Yes and no. No in that we'd be dead otherwise, yes in that there's no doubt numerous systems that are currently running that do not need power."**

"Exactly," Teyla says. "The teams are making good time, and about Sixty percent of the nonessential systems are shut down, but-"

There's an alert from a nearby console.

"Oh no," you recognize that alert.

"The Shield is going to start collapsing again," Tyzias radios. "Teams 5, 6, Evacuate your areas. I don't care how much work is left to do. Go Now. We're not losing anyone else."

"Anyone else?" Jimmyy asks.

"Matthews' team," Teyla says. "They were in the outskirt edges of the city when the first shield collapse began. That was two minutes ago. Tyzias doesn't think we're going to get everything shut down given how the outer edges of the city are now decompressed to space."

"Shit," you swear. "Where do you need me?"

Teyla shows you where to go.

* * *

You are now Joey Claire, and you frown as your house phone rings when you're just moments from walking out the door with your two pint-sized charges.

"John, Rose, just... hold on a moment," you head for the phone. "This is Joey Claire. It'd better be important."

_"Joey, it's Okurii. We've got a situation with Atlantis."_

A few minutes later, you've gated to the Beltus, a concerned Rose and a tired, gender bent John behind you.

Atlantis has fallen out of radio contact with the 304 Apollo, which radioed Midway on Keiko's orders- Keiko's, and not MIkari's- incase they did not arrive on schedule at the designated rendezvous.

Keiko requested someone come through to Atlantis via Linking Book, so that's exactly what you're going to do.

But... you can't go yet.

"Why not!?" You ask Okurii, concern in your eyes.

"For starters," Okurii answers, "The book can't get a lock on the city. We don't know if that just means they're just stuck in hyperspace, or if they're somewhere the book can't get a lock, or if they're just... moving too fast for linking to be viable." She pauses. "And as the Apollo reported, Atlantis couldn't send people through the books they had, and they still haven't yet. We don't know why that happened, or if that interference is affecting books attempting to connect to the City itself. If the link stabilizes- when it stabilizes- when you go, we're going to send you in with a space suit and a complement of ZPMs. We're just waiting for Aincrad to come through with them first."

* * *

Your name is John Sheppard, and you watch with quite the peaked interest as Doctor Callie Ohphee comes barging into the conference room.

"Sorry to break things up, but Alternia just received a report from Pegasus and relayed it to us," she begins before anyone can interject. "Atlantis was attacked by the Replicators in retaliation for the Nuclear Strike the IOA ordered the Apollo to instigate on their homeworld."

"You did WHAT!?" Richard Woolsey stands and yells at his "Fellow" IOA Agents.

"They were building ships!" The Chineese Representative starts. "We had to order the attack or else they would-!"

"Fire a fucking super laser at Atlantis," Callie interjects. "Yeah, right. Bet you didn't think of that, did you?"

"What's the status of Atlantis?" Mikari asks, rising to her feet.

"Unknown," Callie reports. "The Replicators launched a Laser firing Satellite at the City, and they were forced to first Submerge beneath the ocean, which didn't work, and then subsequently flew off into Hyperspace. They didn't make it to the rendevouz point with the Apollo, so they followed Keiko's emergency instructions to contact Alternia and arrange for someone to go to the city via Linking Book. Okurii's putting a small team together now, but we're waiting for Aincrad to authorize us to take a complement of ZPMs through to ensure-"

"I'll authorize it," Commander Asuna Yuki speaks then. "They may have taken severe damage in the escape that caused them to fall out early. They could be bleeding power for all we know."

"Exactly," Callie nods. "I'll come with you to ensure the ZPMs get to Diaspora so we can-"

"What about the books?" Lord El Melloi the Second speaks. "Atlantis has Linking Books. Have they been used?"

"No, Sir," Callie shakes her head. "They haven't. The Apollo reported there was interference caused by the laser before Atlantis took off that was preventing the books from functioning. We have no idea what their status is now if they haven't used them still. Further, the Atlantis book hadn't reconnected yet at the time I was informed."

"Very well," the man stands. "Grey, Add, and I will accompany you to Atlantis. If their books have been damaged in any way, we will need to necessitate a replacement complement."

"You can't abandon the treaty table!" The Russian IOA Ambassador exclaims. "We need to discuss!"

"We can discuss treaties when the center of our discussions is known to be safe and secure," the D'ni Lord warns the irrate IOA man.

"We need to get back to Atlantis," Mckay says, standing. "If the City's been damaged, I'm one of the few people who can help get everything back online. They'll need all hands on deck."

"We'll all go," Jade stands from next to you. "Atlantis is our home. We're not giving it up."

"You seriously can't-!" The UK Ambassador starts, only to be cut off by General O'neill, standing sharply.

"They can, and they will. And if you won't allow them to save the very thing we gathered here to discuss," he says, very sharply, very formally, very... Military. "Then you IOA representatives can leave Corinth City through the nearest exit and never step foot here again."

"I have a sinking suspicion you three won't be returning to this table either way," Woolsey says to his 'fellow' IOA reps, then to the Atlantis crew. "Let's get going."

And thus, Atlantis' team left the discussion room, following Woolsey's lead... and so did the Aincrad and Alfheim and D'ni Representatives, though, Trizza held back just a moment to smirk at the three IOA reps that remained, and say, "You three fucked up big time."

* * *

"We might need to evacuate Atlantis," you are Keiko Ayano, and you feel so tired.

"We probably should at least evacuate the injured people first," Argo nods. "I sent someone to go check on the Book Room to see if the interference cleared up or not."

"What about Relto Books?" You ask. "There have to be a few personal ones lying around the City, right?"

"Those are still down," Argo answers, shaking their head. "At least, last I checked, they are. I asked people to let me know if they came back up. But for all I know people who had 'em decided to use 'em the second they started working again."

"Hopefully people aren't that big of cowards," you say.

That's when Argo's radio buzzes, and they reply, "This is Argo."

_"Argo? Uh... This is Gordon,"_ Doctor Freeman reports. _"I'm at the Book Room. And. Uh... Do you want good news or bad news first?"_

"What's the good news?" Argo asks, smiling at you.

_"Well, the good news is I'm pretty sure the Laser interference is gone on the Linking Books, AND we have a great view,"_ Freeman pauses. _"The bad news is that the Laser fucking obliterated the Book Room, and that great view I mentioned? It's of the rest of the fucking City. _**Those Linking Books are Long Gone.**_"_

You hang your head and let out a long, drawn out, _"Fuuuuuuuuuck."_

* * *

"This is Commander Asuna Yuki, authorization code Nine Nine Zeta Alpha Yukon, Atlantis needs those ZPMs as fast as you can get them."

* * *

You are now Rose Lalonde, and you stare at your slumbering wife with a mix of horror and fear in everything you're feeling.

You were stupid for standing so close to the damned window.

You were stupid because you got knocked to the ground and couldn't react fast enough.

And Kanaya...

"How's she doing?" you ask of Doctor Keller, as she tends over Kanaya's status monitors.

"...There was swelling in her brain, but it's going down," Keller says. "One of her ribs punctured her lung, but it's righting itself out thanks to whatever Shaper did... It's also converting her from Alternian to Human and taking the extra mass for fuel. Also, I think her hair's shrunk by a few inches already, too."

You can't help but take a shaky, uneasy breath.

"So... she's going to make it?" You ask.

"We can only hope that she does," Keller says. "But... Rose, you gotta be prepared for the possibility her memories are damaged. She took a huge hit to the head, and the swelling... We're lucky and unlucky she was wearing Shaper when it happened."

Lucky she was wearing it because it's saved her life.

Unlucky because now the crystal is GONE and it couldn't be used directly to save her and heal god knows how many other injuries across the city.

"If the swelling hadn't stopped and it hadn't started to recede," Keller continues, "we'd have had to perform a decompressive craniectomy." She hesitates at your confused look, then elaborates, "Cut out a piece of her skull, and the brain allowed to expand outside of the head."

"Oh god," you exhale. "She's going to be pissed enough her hair's shrunk... but atleast you didn't shave it all off."

"Let's hope that's the case."

* * *

"I think we should collapse the shield to right around the main tower."

You are Tyzias Entykk, and you watch as Argo nods, and Keiko raises her head from the desk.

For a moment, there's silence, then Keiko points out the obvious: "That's going to leave us exposed to space."

"Yeah, but our power is so thin right now, I don't have any extra juice to come up with the solutions to the hundred or so problems that could lead to our premature demise today." You elaborate.

"...Alright," Keiko nods. "Go ahead and do it, but make sure-"

"Everyone's accounted for? Already done," you say. "We're ready."

"Ok," Keiko nods again. "Do what you need to do."

Argo nods as well. "Get us as much time as you can, I'll try and stretch out the hours a bit longer to buy us some more time."

"Thanks," you say, and head back to the control room, "Alright, everyone! We're doing this!"

You hope Daraya's doing better.

* * *

Your name is Daraya Jonjet, and you cannot fucking see.

Well, okay, it's not total blindness. It WAS. Then there was a flash of pink, and now you can see the faint blur of green that is your blood color masking everything, and some vague darker outlines of shapes through it...

But functionally, you can't see for shit right now.

...And you don't know if you ever will again.

"Hey," Mallek's hand is on your shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Daraya."

"No, it won't," you say."Even if I get my eyesight back, I'm going to be scarred like with the fucking volcano shit again."

"You don't know that," he says.

You glance in his direction- your nose can pick up his scent pretty well. All you see is a vague, darker jade blur among the rest of the slightly lighter jade that is your vision right now.

"Look me in the eyes, Mallek, and tell me that I'm ever going to step foot near Stargate Ops ever again," you tell him.

The shadow moves close, and practically fills up the little vision you have. "You are going to go through that Gate with me and Keiko and Tyzias again, Daraya. Just you wait and see."

"I can't, Mallek. That's the thing. I can't see," you hiss. "All I see right now is Green. And sure, that's better than the pitch black I had earlier, but... Fucking hell, Mallek! I can't even make out the outline of your fucking head or horns right now! There's just a slightly darker shadow and that's it."

You close your eyes, and there's darkness.

It's not any better.

You open them again, and...

No difference.

It's just the same green void again.

* * *

"Okay, two bits of news, one good, one meh," you are Tyzias Entykk still, and you report to Teyla and Argo in the Control Room. "Meh news is that we know where we are!"

"Does that mean we can use the Gate?" Teyla asks.

"No, we'd need to be standing relatively still in space- on a planet- not hurtling through space at just-exited-hyperspace velocities. We're moving too fast to activate the Gate." You report. "And, before you ask. Sub-light would slow us down if they were working. But Sub-light and Navigation are offline."

"That is pretty Meh news," Argo agrees.

"Atleast we're not lost anymore," you agree. "Good news is that there is NOTHING wrong with the Hyperdrives themselves. The damaged power conduits just couldn't ferry enough power to them or the Stardrives. Plenty of power in the capacitors, no way to get it to where the engines needed. We stalled out, basically."

"So we repair the conduits and jump back into Hyperspace?" Argo asks.

"That's the idea. I mean, we can't repair anywhere near as good as we should be able to with everything powered down- you know, landed and such. But... we can patch them up." You scowl. "The only problem with that is we're not going to go far unless we risk the patch job failing on us, regardless of how much power we have left in the tank from all the power we're wasting on the leakage. Some of it's not even recent damage."

"Even with all the reductions?" Teyla asks. "We're still draining power?"

"Yep," you bring up a display gauge on a screen. A power monitor for the ZPM levels. "The Replicators fucked up their repairs. Or we bugged it up when we disrupted the City. Something didn't get repaired right in the ZPM conduits to begin with. Stardrives, Shields, something took damage when we took back the city and the Replicators didn't get around to fixing it properly. We didn't realize it was damaged because the sensors weren't working right to begin with. So. We couldn't fix it."

You point at a line, that the green levels of the current power supply are rapidly draining towards. "This is our point of no return. If we don't complete repairs before we hit this point, we're stuck, and we'll have maybe thirty hours of air before we suffocate to death."

* * *

"The linking Panel for Atlantis' book just finished updating."

You are Joey Claire, and you snap to attention as you hear those words spoken from Zebede's mouth. "Show me."

The yellow blood escorts you to the Book Room on the Beltus, and you review what you know.

Linking Panels follow certain rules, you've found, though the type of panel changes depending on the Age itself and the Writer of the connection in question.

Generally, the Descriptive Book will show a wild and varied view of a LOT of nearby terrain- this is something you've never seen.

The more animated Linking Book panels will often have a live feed of just the primary linking point that had been chosen for that link- sometimes, though, it will pull in from a far outside view, zip around the local terrain, before circling down on the central Linking Point.

Sometimes, books would just fix on an image, and only really update what was seen if the area changed drastically enough.

Linking Panels that showed a black, swirl cloud void generally meant the link would not function at that point in time- as had happened before when Atlantis was in Hyperspace, or during the points in time where the City had previously NOT been near a physical planet.

Atlantis' Linking Book had been a mix of these- it featured a mostly live view of the Atlantis Book Room, adjusting for time of day, but it never showed whether or not the room was inhabited or not.

Now, as you opened the book, you prepared for the worst.

Static filled the corners of the screen, but the image it showed was... lagging.

The City seemed to be fixed in frame, save for the subtle turn to it as it moved through space. The speed at which dots of light seemed to be moving around it implied the City was definitely moving fast, and the Book was trying to catch up to the City itself.

The Shield had been collapsed to only protect the central tower.

A sun glinted past in the corner- and you realized why the link had taken so long to stabilize: They hadn't approached anywhere resembling a fixed point in space yet. Yeesha's magic writing to fix the book to a fixed point relative to the City of Atlantis was doing its best to catch up to the rapidly moving city.

* * *

You are Ronon Dex, and you look up as Keiko Ayano wanders into the infirmary.

She smiles to Mallek and Daraya, though only the former reacts with a strained smile. And then Keiko makes a bee-line over to... well, you, actually.

"How are you holding up?" She asks.

"I'm fine," you reply. "They got the glass out."

"Good." She nods.

"You need me somewhere?" You ask.

"...No, I just..." She glances at Daraya and Mallek, ears flattening in shame "I can't confront her yet. This is my fault."

"No, it's not," you say. "You didn't know."

"I gave the order to take the shield down," she says. "This is my fault everyone got hurt."

"If you didn't, we'd have stalled out," you tell her. "I was in the control room. I heard that conversation. There wasn't any other option. Now go talk with your team."

"...Alright," she nods, and heads over to them.

"Hey, Mallek, Daraya. How's... how's it going?" she asks.

"I can see THREE shades of Jade Green now," Daraya says with a flat tone of voice.

"Her eyesight's slowly getting better," Mallek says. "I think that pulse wave from Shaper earlier is accelerating people's healing by a bit."

"...Shaper pulse wave?" Keiko asks. "Oh, god- Kanaya-"

"She's fine," Mallek says, reaching a hand out to grab Keiko's before she can take off. "I just asked Keller a minute ago. She's recovering."

"...I..." You see Keiko swallow, watch as her ears flatten against her skull, her tail droop as she then takes a hefty breath. "Okay. That's good." Then, she kneels down to Daraya, looking her in the eyes. "Daraya? I... I know I'm not the greatest with healing spells, but would you be okay if I tried-?"

"Yes," Daraya says, sharply. "Just... Give it a try. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work."

"Okay..." Keiko nods. puts her hands up beside Daraya's eyes, and whispers alien words you don't recognize.

A spiral of golden symbols wrap around Keiko's arms, and then lock into place before exploding into particles that flow into Daraya's eyes.

You watch as the seared green orbs begin to... well... stop being green everywhere. Orange begins to pierce through the green at the edges, and structure and form return to the center of the eyes.

Daraya wrenches her eyes shut, grimaces, and hisses... You see her ears twitching in mild pain... And when her eyes open again they seem moderately normal again... except the green parts that should be green are clouded over.

"Shit... That's..." She hisses again. "Everything's blurry as fuck but atleast I can see colors again."

"I... I'll try again-," Keiko stumbles over her words, looking exhausted.

"Later," Mallek says, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We'll call for Minori when we get in contact with everyone again. You rest for now, okay?"

"I can still--"

"You look like shit, Keiko," Mallek says. "And I say this as nicely as I can. Go get some sleep."

"And no offense," Daraya says, "but you smell like you haven't brushed your teeth in hours. Go take care of that too!"

Keiko laughs. "Alright. I'll go take care of my bad breath, and go try and take a nap. You two take care, okay?"

"I'll make sure of it," Mallek nods.

* * *

"How's it going on this end?" You are once again Tyzias Entykk, and you enter the ZPM room with a hurried clip to your pace.

"Actually, remarkably well," Zelenka reports, sighing tiredly. He's looking quite tired and discomposed from his usual demeanor, but happy despite that.

"Really?" You ask. "That's surprising."

"Yes, yes, yes," Zelenka agrees. "Cannibalizing parts and crystals from secondary conduits and interfacing them with primary ones is, um…is going very smoothly. Yes, if we keep our current pace, we should be... uh, done well before we... we... um... drop below the necessary power requirements to- ah. You know, jump into hyperspace and meet up with the Apollo."

"That's fantastic!" You laugh. "Oh man, there's actually a chance we might make it out of this alive!"

_"Tyzias? Argo? Control Room now Please!"_ Chuck calls out, sounding panicked.

You sigh. "That last for all of, what? A second?"

"This is the day that... ah... Oh, it just keeps on giving, isn't it?" Zelenka asks in turn, sighing.

You go to return to the Control Room.

"What is it, Chuck?" You ask when you arrive.

"Take a look," he points at a screen.

"...Oh fuck," you swear.

"Oh shit, are those-?" Argo arrives as well.

"It's an Asteroid Belt," you groan. "And fuck, we're screwed. Sub-light's offline. And we can't expand the shield or else we run out of power instnatly."

"How long until we get there?" Argo asks.

"Ten minutes til, then maybe..." Chuck swears. "Shit. Five Minutes to get through."

"Oh fuck us, we're passing through it at a bad angle," you groan. "Shit. How are we going to get through this?"

If you'd just skimmed the top of it. Why couldn't you have skimmed the top of it? Then it'd just have been a solid two minutes of moving through rocks.

"Zelenka needs forty-five minutes to complete the repairs, if we raise the shield even for one minute we eat up all that time so... God damn it. How do we beat this?"

You stare at the problem with no solution. "Where's a Hyperbeam when we need it!?"

"...We don't need Hyperbeam," Argo realizes. "We have a Ruby Lancer."

"What?" You turn to look at them. "But... How does-?"

...Wait.

Waiiiit.

In order to get them in the Jumper Bay you had to utilize a reverse function of the same technology that allows the Saphire version of that Mech's Shotgun mode to expand to a proper size to be held by the Astro Megaship.

You had to shrink it DOWN to fit it inside.

...Could you...?

"How big can we expand the Ruby Lancer by in its combined, Mega-Pla formation?" You ask.

"I don't know," Argo says. "But if we get a complement of Jumpers on either side to pick off the straggler pieces of rock...?"

"That might work," you nod. "Argo, Get me Rhubee and Karren up here Stat! Chuck, get me every person on base who has the ATA Gene at basic Jumper levels of flight control. Everyone meets in the Jumper Bay. NOW!"

"Keiko was asking them earlier," Chuck replies. "I can get them."

* * *

"...Which means we can't raise the shield because we don't have enough power in the ZPMs," you finish explaining to the gathered group of about 26 individuals standing before you. "If we don't clear a path for the city, it'll get ripped apart. So, Rhubee and Karren are going to super-size the Lancer, and clear us a path. Then, we're going to take every last jumper we have, and we're going to pick off the stragglers that pose the City a threat. Any questions!?"

A doctor raises his hand. "I wasn't comfortable with even touching the City's chair. Why do you think I'm going to be any better flying a Jumper- which I've only done twice before- and firing drones- which I've never done before?!"

"Because unlike Keiko who could do this solo," you smile at the girl who smiles tiredly back at you, "we CAN'T do this Solo. There IS no other option. You all are IT. Everyone else who could've done this isn't HERE. SO. We're doing this thing."

"We're making it happen," O'neill agrees. "Let's get it done or we die."

There's a lot of frightened looks, but... They agree.

"Let's get Moving people!" You look to Rhubee Xaolon and Kohiru Karren. They nod with determination, and move for their mechships.

* * *

The Atlantis Linking Panel is now in a near state of constant trying to catch up with the city. It's gotten closer, over the last few minutes, but it's nowhere near close enough to risk actually linking through just yet.

Your name is Joey Claire, and you feel anxious and nervous as you watch a field of asteroids fill the screen.

Well. Shit.

How are they going to deal with that?

And then, you watch as two red things emerge from the top of Atlantis' tower, and then snap together and GROW.

* * *

_ **"GATTAI SEQUENCE!"** _

The rear boosters connect to the front lancer's thruster as it shuts down- and the boosters mech-shift into the form of legs- then, the upper half seems to bend at the middle- rather, the shoulders- before the shield section splits away, revealing arms and a head.

The shield spirals away, and splits in two- becoming a shield, and a lance's spear head- that grows the remainder of its handle with a burst of energy.

The right hand grabs the lance's pole, and the left arm connects to the shield.

The crimson mech strikes a pose.

_ **"RUBY LANCER- ONLINE!"** _

A flight of 24 Jumpers emerges from the tower, each just about as long front to back as the Ruby Lancer's chest was from front to Back.

"Alright, everyone! Get in formation! We're taking first strike!" Karren orders. "Rhubee? Ready?"

"I was HATCHED READY!" Rhubee gleefully strikes a switch in the control console on the back of her dummy shield. _**"BEGIN GIGANTIMAX SEQUENCE!!"**_

A Magic Circle- or what appears to be one at any rate- appears beneath the Lancer's feet, and shoots upwards along the mech's body, engulfing the tiny mech, and as it passes by in space, reveals a massive version of it behind.

It was still nowhere near as big as the Astro Megaship, but at its now maximum, enhanced size, it stood a more sizable chance against the asteroid field infront of them.

The Lance was held out infront of them- and it did not transform into a scythe mode. Instead, it shot out twin beams of energy from both ends, and then, held within the Lancer's grip, began to spin at speeds, forming a whirling death-blade shield of crimson energy.

_**"RUBY LANCE: MODE FOUR!"**_ Rhubee cried out.

Karren completed the cry: _**"GAE BOLG!!!"**_

The crimson mecha rocketed forwards at speeds that would break the sound barrier if there were an atmosphere around.

Instead, their spinning weapon carved a massive trench through the asteroid belt.

The concussive force of the blast traveled out into nearby asteroids, pushing them off course away from Atlantis, causing the hole in the field to grow and grow in size, like a ripple in the surface of a pond.

"Go Go Go!" Tyzias calls out. "Start picking off stragglers Now!"

* * *

The constant flash of explosions on the Linking Panel sealed the asteroid belt's fate.

You can't help but laugh.

That's certainly a very creative use of an over powered prototype finishing move.

As the city starts to drift through the hole in the asteroid belt, the Panel finally gets a head start on its catch up, and begins drifting into the City's outer edges.

That's when everyone who's coming along arrives, clad up in space suits.

"Joey," John Sheppard nods at you. "Hows little me and Rose doing?"

"Okurii's watching them," you inform him, and he nods in acceptance.

"How's the City?" Mckay asks.

"They're clearing a path through an asteroid belt, so, now's probably not the best time to try linking through," you explain, jabbing a thumb at the panel.

"Well, that's certainly flashy," John stares at it. "Ruby Lancer?"

"Best as I can tell," you nod. "What's the status of the ZPMs?"

"Got 'em," Jade says, hefting a case in hand before Captchaloging it.

"Good, they definitely need them if they've collapsed the City Shield like they have," you say.

"They did what?" Mckay peers at the panel. "Well- Shit! That's definitely not good."

* * *

"HAHAHA! Alright!" Rhubee cheers as they clear the other side of the asteroid belt. "That's the main path cleared! We're going back to pick off anything else."

With a shift of the shield, a laser rifle deposits itself into the Lancer's left hand. With a fire of the booster on its back, the Mega-Pla took off to shoot down some giant rocks.

* * *

Soon enough, the Linking Panel had crossed through the shield, and was focusing in on a large graze alongside the central tower.

A large grze that the panel's camera view settled within, peering forlornly at a locked door.

"Well, that settles it," you say. "We're going to have to EVA to get into the City. Jade and I should go first. She has the ZPMs, I have wings that can carry us along if need be. The rest of you..."

"Yeah, there's no way we'd keep up with the speed requirements needed to keep up with the City after linking in," Mckay shakes his head.

"Much as I hate to say it, he's right," John grimaces. "Good luck, you two."

"I'll tell Argo you say hi," Jade kisses John on the lips, then pulls back and activates her helmet. "Ready to go, Jo?"

"Yeah," you activate your helmet. "Let's go!"

You press your hand to the panel.

** _VVVVRRRRMMMMSSSShhhhssshhhhsshhh..._ **

* * *

The Lifesigns detector suddenly beeped as something materialized outside of the city's current walls.

"What the?" Chuck stared at the sign that appeared.

Then, a second beep- a second dot.

It took Chuck but a moment to place their location as where the Atlantis Book Room had used to be.

He quickly got on the radio- "I need the Jumper closest to the city to divert and go pick up two unidentified travelers that just linked into space where the Book Room used to be. Now!"

* * *

Soon, Atlantis cleared the asteroid belt, and you could sigh in relief.

You are Argo Lalonde, and you exit your Jumper to find that one of the others is opening up to reveal the two space-suit wearing travelers who probably linked in from--

"Argo!" And then Jade is hugging you tight, and you're hugging her back.

"Jade! What- Weren't you supposed to be-?"

"At the conference? Yeah, but Callie told us what was happening so we came to help," She answers.

"Sorry we took so long!"

You turn and look at the other person who'd shown up- Joey Claire.

"But, you know, Linking Books. Sometimes they just take forever to update themselves," She jokes. "I swear to god, it had this purple book icon on the screen with a bunch of swirling dots around it, with the word "Updating" underneath it for, like, a month!"

You can't help but laugh.

"Oh, god, that's the worst!" You say.

"What's not the worst, though," Jade grins. "We brought ZPMs!"

**_"HELL FUCKING YES!"_ **Tyzias exclaims as she hears the news from elsewhere in the Jumper Bay.

* * *

You are Keiko Ayano, and there's a rush of work as the last of the City's last ditch repairs are rapidly made.

"Hey," Joey nudges you in the shoulder as she sits down next to you on the stairs overlooking the Stargate. She hands you a cup of hot chocolate, which you accept readily. She sips at her own cup after decaptchaloging it.

"Hey," you say, sipping at it. It's powdered, you can tell that instantly from the grit on your tongue. Probably not even real chocolate in it, but... who cares. It tastes fine enough.

"Tyzias tells me you're going to fly us the rest of the way to... wherever it is we settle on."

"Yeah," you say. "I started this flight. I gotta finish it. I'll get us home so Mikari can get back in charge and..." you trail off. "Um. Question. How are things going? With the negotiations?"

"I didn't get much time to chat, but Jade did tell me that Aincrad and Alfheim and Aincrad's D'ni want Mikari running a project of theirs," Joey says. "Something big. I'm not entirely sure what, though."

"So... she's not coming back," you sigh. Hot chocolate. Sip. Savor taste. Swallow.

"Not right away, no," Joey frowns. "If it's any consolation, Jade said you were one of the runner ups for taking over this place."

You scoff. "Hell no. I can barely handle this."

"That's what I said when she said I was one of the other runner ups," Joey smiles. "Except instead of 'i can't handle this' it's 'I'm retired.'"

"And yet, here you are?"

"And yet, here I am."

There's a pause, you both drink hot chocolate.

"Would..." You pause in your question. "Would you come back, lead this place?"

"That all depends," Joey says.

"On what?" You ask. "How much they pay you?"

"Yes, that, but also... Also, how much control they actually let me have," Joey frowns, peering at the Gate. "If I do take over, I'm demanding I get my rank back. And I know Okurii's willing to promote me. She's asked a few times, only mostly jokingly mind you, that if I agreed to a promotion to General she'd make me take over the Beltus on the spot." She takes a long sip of her hot chocolate. Then, she says, "I'll make my price high, if they really want me to run this place. And I think the IOA doesn't want that as much as I don't. Still... stranger things have happened."

"That's..." you frown. "There's a lot you'd be giving up, though."

"Tell me about it," she sighs, shaking her head. "I don't think Polypa's willing to uproot and move here. Mierfa either. Toko... I'd rather not uproot her from her life so far either."

"Fair enough." You sip at your hot chocolate. "Anyone else I should be aware of maybe taking over?"

"Lord El Melloi apparently expressed interest in taking over for a time," Joey continues. "And I have no idea who that is, so, fuck if I know if it's a good idea or not. Other than him... Argo."

"Argo did good when I was panicking," you say. "And they know the City management better than anyone else, really."

"John put their name forwards," Joey says. "Jade backed him up on that."

"As they should," you nod.

"As for anyone else... hell if I know. I don't think they finished hashing it out before they left."

"Well, this is gonna suck," you muse.

* * *

You are now Rose Lalonde, and you're woken up with a brief jolt in your arms.

Your eyes snap open, and you lift your head, and you see Kanaya stirring in the bed that you had just laid down on for a minute, you swear, you were just resting your eyes.

"Doctor Keller!" you call out. "She's waking up!"

You stand back and wait as Kanaya wakes up, and Doctor Keller walks her through what she remembered last, which, thankfully, ends up being most of everything before the sudden explosion at the window.

At some point during all of that process, Joey Claire showed up- how did she even get to Atlantis??

It doesn't matter, you smile at her, and she smiles back, though a bit grimly.

"So... Shaper got shattered, huh?" Joey asks, peering at Kanaya.

"Yes," you nod. "That's about the gist of it."

Joey sighs, running a hand through her hair. "So much for fixing what it did to John, then."

...There is that failing, too.

"We should've come yesterday- would have, even," Joey explains. "But... John said he wanted to give it another day. So we waited. I think... well, I hate to jump to conclusions. But I can tell he's happier this way, and he just doesn't want to admit it yet. Whether that's because he's happy with the gender flip, or happy with the looking like his sister thing, or both, who knows."

"Who knows indeed," you frown. "How he reacts to the news that Shaper is broken will be telling."

"Mmh," Joey nods. "That it will be."

"How's my other self taking it?" You ask.

"Already trying to research ways to make it better," Joey says. "I've told her to knock it off for the time being."

"Well, good luck to her with that," you say, attention being taken in by Keller waving you over. "Now if you'll excuse me..."

Joey nods, and you head over to talk to Kanaya.

"Hey," you greet.

"Hey," she greets in turn.

"As far as I can tell, she's making a full recovery," Keller says. "I'll discharge her in a couple of days, for observation, but... it's a miracle, I think." She then bows out, and says, "I'll let you two be."

"Thank you," Kanaya says. "That would be great."

Keller leaves, Joey moving to intercept to talk to her, and you smile at Kanaya. "Welcome back."

"It's good to be back," Kanaya smiles. "I imagine I gave you quite a scare."

"You have no idea," you shake your head. "It's been a mess the last... uh... day, basically?"

"I have a lot to catch up on, then, it sounds like," Kanaya says.

"Yeah." You nod.

For a moment you both stand/sit there, before Kanaya motions for you to sit down next to her, which you eagerly do, and give her the biggest, tightest hug you can, followed shortly by a very deep and passionate kiss.

"I thought I'd lost you," you whisper once the kiss breaks.

"Not this time," Kanaya whispers in turn.

"Let's just elope," you say.

"Seriously? No ceremony? Nothing?" Kanaya asks.

"Jack and Sam had the right idea. No more waiting," you tell her. "We get out of this, we get married."

"That sounds wonderful." Kanaya kisses you again.

* * *

"Alright, I think that's everything!" Tyzias reports... "Just one last initialization, and..."

You are now Jade Jackson, and you smile as the last of the replacement ZPMs have been slotted in. The old ones were just about depleted already.

"There!" Tyzias grins. "We're good to go. Let's get back to the Control room."

"Awesome," you say. "So, where are we heading to, destination wise?"

Tyzias huffs. "Zelenka and I don't think the repairs are going to last long, and we're pretty sure the Stardrives are going to conk out sometime just after we exit hyperspace, so our options are pretty limited to the local systems. We couldn't make it back to Lantea, or back to M12-578. It's not on any of our primary or backup lists, but our best contender is M35-117. It's just in range, and it's got a stable atmosphere, a big ocean, and besides the particularly large and venomous snake-like creatures that inhabit the mainland, it's a good home environment."

"Why wasn't it on our lists before?" you ask.

"Giant, Venomous, Snakes." Tyzias shudders. "Obvious enough, yeah?"

"Okay, fair enough," you muse. "On the plus side, if the Replicators managed to steal any of our backup locations from the database when they were in control of the city, it's not like they'd think to look there."

"Exactly what else I was thinking," Tyzias nods.

A teleporter jump later, and you're back in the control room.

"Alright, people," you clap your hands. "Let's get this show on the road!"

* * *

You are Keiko Ayano, and as you sit in Atlantis' control chair, you feel the steady thrum of energy running through the City to the Stardrive and Hyperspace engines.

Okay, 'steady' is a bit of the wrong word here. It's more like, hiccuping majorly every few minutes near the base of the tower

The Repairs aren't going to hold for long, but you just hope it's going to last long enough to get you to where you need to go.

_"Alright,"_ Tyzias radios, and your internal mind's eye views her in the control room with the others. _"We'll be exiting Hyperspace fairly close to the planet's atmosphere. I don't want the star drives kicking off before we get a chance to enter the atmosphere, so... we're going to be coming in hot and fast. Think you can handle it, Keiko?"_

"As long as the engines get us through re-entry, I think I can manage if worst comes to worst," you say. "Jade? Think you can get a grip on the City incase things go wrong?"

_"I can hold us together but I've never guided anything this big before,"_ Jade answers, holding hands with Argo.

_"We should have enough energy in the ZPMs to maintain shield integrity,"_ Tyzias says,_ "but that said, a city this size will have a LOT of friction, and if we come in too steep or too fast, and the shield could flex under the strain and we'd pop, or shatter, or burn up... all of the above?_" She shrugs. _"Anyways, you'll want to bring us in over the water like a leaf kissing the surface of a pond."_

"What kind of metaphor is that?" You ask, mind's eye drifting to the Infirmary, where Mallek watches as Joey talks with Daraya about something private and personal and the City's muting the audio feed from there.

Cute, Atlantis. Cute.

_"It's the kind that-"_ Tyzias stops as an alarms sounds. _"Never mind. We're arriving."_

Your external view of the city kicks in, and the wash of Hyperspace drops away, leaving before you a planet with a large continent, an even larger ocean, and FIVE MOONS!

The Wolf in you tenses with that knowledge, but also... for some other reason as well you can't quite pin down.

...Well, shit, this could be an unpleasant planet to live on. But, never mind. UGH. You've got more important things to focus on.

Also, Tyzias wasn't kidding, you're pretty much in high orbit already.

"Atlantis, this is your pilot speaking," you draw on a bit of Kazuto's charm from back when the last time you were in this situation happened. "Please buckle in. It's going to be a bumpy ride."

You make the descent into the atmosphere...

_"Keiko, we're coming in a little steep,"_ Tyzias warns. _"If we keep going like this we'll strain the shield and-"_

You feel it before she can say anything more- the battered conduits are suddenly feeling clogged.

"Shit-" you swear just before something [EXPLODES,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS-UjCmrJh0) and you lose all sensation from the Stardrives as the City tilts dangerously to a side.

**"SHIT!"** Tyzias yells._ "We lost the stardrive!"_

_"ON IT!!"_ Jade yells.

The City tumbles into the Atmosphere, shield still raised, but no inertial dampeners- the only thing holding the City together is the green glow of energy covering everything.

Shit, shit shit- Fuck- Okay, come on Keiko, you've got this!!!

You try your best to change the angle of entry, but damn it, you've got no power to those systems right now. It's like you're flying with your-- Wait. Wings!

You focus, the city is your body, and your body can FLY, and so CAN THIS CITY!!

[0:26]

You spread your wings in the chair, and beneath Atlantis appears a giant pair of wings in the same style as your own wings.

You set them to vibrate, as best as you can, and you start to shift the angle of entry.

Yes! Yes! You're slowing down! YES! Angle adjusted! Perfect! Now all you need to do is NOT crash into the Continent that's rapidly coming up beneath you! And--!

_ **OH FUCK! NOT AGAIN! STUPID CONTINENTS!!! GETTING! IN! YOUR! WAY!!!!** _

[0:50]

You're dropping WAY too close to the fucking continent's surface! God. DAMN IT.** ONE JOB, KEIKO! _YOU HAD ONE JOB!!!_**

You drop as much deceleration as you can to focus on keeping the City level and not crashing into the fucking continent as you rocket over it at speeds that are still definitely breaking the sound barrier.

You're sure whatever giant snakes are living there are turning their heads up at the noise and light show.

Fuck, why is history repeating itself again!? How did Kazuto manage to do this!?

Trees woosh by all around you. A lake blurs by before you know it. More Trees. An endless sea of green compared to the rapidly approaching shore line.

You just have to keep the City High enough to not start skimming the ground before you hit the water!

_Cmon! **Cmon! CMON!!!!**_

[1:17]

_ **AND YOU'RE CLEAR!** _

You throw on the breaking angles, and try to decelerate as much as you can before you hit the water!

You push- push-!_ COME ON! PULL THAT ANGLE BACK **A BIT MORE!!!**_

_ **FWOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!** _

Water starts spraying up across the shield as you get close enough to disturb it- fuuuuuck--- You can't see anything!!

GAH! Just- _JUST SLOW IT DOWN! SLOW IT DOWN!!!!_

** _SLOOOOOOW! SLOOOOOOOOOOWWWW!!!!_ **

** _AAAAAA!!!!!!!_ **

[1:41]

Your momentum finally comes to as complete of a stop as you can get it, and the water friction against the shield does the rest.

With a JOLT and a rock of the city's momentum being bled away, everything just... sort of sways a little... and then... It balances out.

_"Nice Kissing!"_ Tyzias appraises, slightly sarcastically from the Control Room.

"Thanks..." You open your eyes, huffing in amazement. "Did we make it? Is everything alright?"

_"Yeah, just..."_ Tyzias pauses... _"Systems are good. Plenty of power in the ZPMs..."_

_"Drop the shield,"_ Argo orders.

You feel the shield dropping over Atlantis, and you take stock over the people within...

A little banged up, but Jade's powers seem to have kept everyone from bumping around too much.

"Attention Atlantis..." You begin. "...I think we've made it in one piece. I'm just gonna pass out now, if that's alright."

And so you pass out.

* * *

**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 11TH, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 04/20/0006.**

"Okay, that should be it," You are now Morgan Carter, and you peer at the Stargate. "Shall we give it a spin?"

_[Yes,]_ Jolinar agrees within your skull. _[Let's.]_

"Let's Dial Earth," Zelenka nods.

You take a breath, then push the glyphs for Earth.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven... Eight.

** _WAA WAA! KAWOOOOOOSH!_ **

"Connection established," you grab the radio. "This is Atlantis calling Stargate Command, do you read?"

There's a pause... Then...

_"We read you, Atlantis, it's good to hear from you!"_ Walter's voice echoes down the line.

"Great to be heard," you smile. "Tell General Landry we're back on the Gate Network."

* * *

You are now Rodney Mckay and you sigh in disbelief as you peer at the Atlantis Control Room. "God, what a mess."

"Tell me about it," Zelenka says without looking up from whatever it is he's working on. "Also, welcome back, Rodney."

"Good to be back for however long it'll be," you say. "The whole meeting's been postponed for another few days while we sort things out here."

"Well, when you go back, you can tell the IOA their stunt did nothing but cost us severely," he motions you over to the laptop he's looking at.

"What is it?" You ask.

"Long Range scanners picked up a massive fleet of ships leaving the Replicator Planet. Either they already rebuilt in just the short amount of time since we blew them up, or they had more ships than we thought they did," he points at the scanner, showing a large fleet of ships moving towards-

"Isn't that a Wraith Planet?" You ask.

"Indeed it is," he nods. "MGM-626. From Ford's Dart Database, actually. Go figure."

"...So we not only failed to blow up all their ships, but no less than a day or two later, they're already launching more ships to attack," you scowl. "Lovely. The IOA's paranoia provoked all of this shit for nothing."

"General O'neill is not going to be happy when we inform him," Zelenka says. "I can't imagine anyone in the IOA is going to be happy. Their 'plan', such as it was, backfired heavily."

"And here we are suffering the consequences," you mutter.

* * *

"Ah, there you three are!" You are Mikari Aiikho, and you find John Sheppard, Jade Jackson, and Argo Lalonde out on the rather ruined Atlantis balcony.

Argo's kneeling next to the melted metal, running their hands over it, and leaving behind a subtle red glow.

"Here we are," John nods. "Argo just had an idea to help speed up repairs."

"An idea?" You ask.

"Well," Argo starts. "In the Unending I was able to imbue sword strikes with a time reversal effect that triggered when hit by other weapons. So... What if I apply it to the damaged parts of Atlantis? Reverse them to an undamaged state?"

"We thought we'd start small," Jade says, smiling. "Trial run, you know. Less room for error."

"And I think I've got the balcony," Argo stands. "John, if you'd please?"

John rolls his shoulders, stretches his arms out, and then gathers a small sphere of wind between his hands.

"Alright... here goes..."

And he gently lobs it at the ruined balcony floor.

There's a flash of red light, and the sound of a clock ticking backwards, and suddenly a large portion of the ruined floor has been restored.

"Well, damn," Argo whistled. "As if we weren't over powered before. I can't believe I got that to carry over!"

"Think it'd work on my younger self?" John asks. "Or better yet, put Shaper back together again?"

"I'd rather not try it on anything organic just yet," Argo says, grimacing. "And no, that End thing doesn't count."

"Of course it doesn't," Jade says, crossing her arms over her chest. "That thing was horrible. I'm still having the occasional nightmare about it."

"I think I'll have different nightmares from here on," Argo says, peering down the gap in the floor at the long burn mark carved against the side of the Central Tower.

"This has been the scariest forty hours of my life."

"What, being blasted from on high by Anubis wasn't scary enough?" John asks.

"No, because I had you two with me the entire time," Argo answers.

You smile at the displays of affection shown after that.

You turn your attention towards the sky...

"That's a familiar sight," you say, in regards towards the two giant moons visible even during the day. "Two Moons."

"There's actually five moons," Jade says. "But only two are visible to the naked eye from the planet's surface. The other three are sort of stuck inside the planet's shadow, as far as we can tell."

"Huh," you muse, staring upwards. "That's different."

"You're telling me," Jade huffs. "It's really throwing my inner wolf out of whack." Her ears flex, annoyed. "I think every other werewolf on Atlantis is feeling the same."

"Hopefully it's nothing that won't settle with time," Argo says. "Speaking of time... How long before you guys have to go back?"

"Oh, a couple of days, at the least," you answer. "After all the shit that went down... What a fucking mess."

"You can say that again," John agrees.

"What a fucking mess," you say it again.

"The Apollo's staying in orbit for the next few days too," Argo says. "Their shield took a beating when the laser hit them first. They're not up for a long distance trip yet."

"I don't think anyone is, really," Jade says. "Atlantis got fucking laser'd. We had to move *again* and... fuck. Things are changing." Her hands drop to her stomach. "They're really changing way too fast."

"You can say that again," you agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> General Thoughts: HHHHHHH.... Man, that was a CHAPTER to write. This... is probably going to be another rather long chapter. If it's around 10k words like the last 3 chapters of A6A3 I'm going to... not be particularly surprised but man. Just wondering how I even wrote that much consistently in a row???  
EDIT: halfhlsdhfaafhl. YEP. Another roughly 10k chapter. HOW THE HELL, ME????  
\---
> 
> Specific notes on this chapter:
> 
> The general circumstances of this specific episode adaptation have changed over time- for example, when I was first planning it it was before I'd even considered the Linking Books being on Atlantis at all. It was also before I made the decision to kill of Weir, thus making a whole plot point about a Replicator Homeworld ZPM heist inoperable. 
> 
> Things that were set in stone:  
Atlantis landing to the theme of Gunland: I've had this card in the works since the Aincrad Crashes Sequence wayyyyyy back when, set instead to Swordland. These two sequences were meant to be parallels of eachother. Kazuto lands an impossibly large EGG LOKIN THING (Sic), and Keiko later successfully lands the City of Atlantis. Of course, pulling this specific swap off meant that I had to get Sheppard off of Atlantis so she could fly the thing, but, well. The story provided that outlet eventually.
> 
> Skipping the Replicator Homeworld ZPM heist: I'mma be honest here. THAT episode was not one I wanted to adapt, and a small part of that did bleed through into my decision to kill off Weir all those many acts ago. There was no need for it if I could get ZPMs from Aincrad/Alfheim to Atlantis in time. Linking Books provided that fun little shortcut.
> 
> Things that Weren't set in stone: 
> 
> Kanaya getting laser'd: I'd debated back and forth whether or not to put her in Weir's canonical position or not, and eventually settled on it for a handful of reasons:  
1\. [S] Game Over reference. Self Explanatory if you've seen the Flash sequence in question.  
2\. Nudging Kanaya and Rose into eloping and skipping another large chapter sequence.  
3\. Eventually Integrating Shaper's powers into Kanaya.  
4\. Removing Shaper as a player on the field in a mostly permanent way, to facilitate an "excuse" for Little!John to remain June. And yes, that's the name she'll choose in this timeline. Sorry, spoilers. XD
> 
> Temp Blinding Daraya: Honestly, the idea of Daraya wearing glasses was just too much to pass up for me. Could I have gone about it in a less violent way? Sure. But have a joking fake-meta reason as a bonus: In the timeline where this series is the actual Stargate Franchise, Daraya's actor, between seasons, had to get glasses and the writers decided to put it in. 
> 
> Who's incharge of Atlantis: So, Season 4 is canonically where Weir left the show as a recurring character and Col. Sam Carter took charge. I was not sure who the heck was going to take over Atlantis for the longest time and was debating it back and forth until I came up to the final episodes of Season 3 and this first one of Season 4. As I was sending Mikari off to deal with the Aincrad situation, I spent these episodes trying out Keiko, Argo, and Joey, to see if one of them would fit better as leader of the Expedition, but in the end none of them felt quite right for the job. 
> 
> RUBY LANCER INTERRUPT: Yeah, this was pretty much last minute decision making when I was putting this last mini-arc together. I'd been trying and trying to find a good place to work them into the series after introducing them properly, but there's a surprising LACK of good places to insert a mech fight into Atlantis. So, the angle of entry into the asteroid belt was changed, and Ruby Lancer got a time to shine. And yes, if it weren't obvious before, yes, the Mega-Plas are just Gundams. 
> 
> Also! Hey! It's been forever, but we finally got some properish looks at Rhubee and Karren! I was in a bit of a rush to get this one done. I ended up putting off doing this piece for far longer than intended and I wanted it to be front and center in this chapter, and not after it. I LITERALLY did all the drawing and coloring for it in a matter of 6ish hours. @_@;;; Ended up cutting corners by basing the poses and tracing the faces from official SAO artwork for Llenn/Karren, and modified a similar Asuna pose for Rhubee. And while the Neon-Lineart-No-Coloring looks cool, If I'd actually given myself more time I'd have gotten it way more colored than it is. Oh well. Maybe some time in the future I'll revamp it and do it more fully colored... or I'll get so busy and forget about it.


	3. MINISODE: Spoiler Alert, it's Five Days Long.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxy Egbert is informed of the situation.

**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 12TH, 2002.  
**  
**DIASPORA DATE: 04/21/0006.**

Your name is Roxy Egbert, and you listen to the story as Joey explains what the hell happened just after the wedding, primarily, and then what happened on Atlantis, secondarily.

In the end, it boils down to the simple matter of the fact that your daughter stole an alien artifact, and her good intentions backfired because of the THEFT side of things, with the end result being your son now being... your _other daughter_.

That Shaper intended to only reverse it after a week's time to let the lesson sink in because of something Doctor Lam did is infuriating enough. (You are going to have WORDS with Carolyn.) That Atlantis got attacked by Replicators and the Shaper Crystal _***Shattered* and *died*** _saving Kanaya's life is...

....It's just so much to take in.

"Well?" Joey asks, jarring you from your thoughts. "I was kind of expecting you to start crying, or shout in rage, or, uh, do something- anything- by now that wasn't just, um... sitting there? Well, Rose and John were worried about the shouting thing, at any rate."

"OH, God," you hang your head into your hands. "Do I really come off as the kind of woman who'd do that?"

"To be fair, you come off as the kind of woman who'd deliberately summon a tiger from the void and set it loose on someone trespassing on your property under the right circumstances," Joey answers. "To be frank, I'm not really sure what I was expecting."

"Joey, my whole life has been nothing but these weird ass science fiction-esque twists and turns for the last ten ish years," you state. "But I'm not- have I ever really- given that impression that I'd be that mad over something like this?" Especially given your other self? Also. "Also?? A Tiger summoning? Really??"

"Hey, I had nightmares for WEEKS after you pulled off that stunt on Jude's fifth Birthday," Joey points out.

Jude's Fifth--?

**Oh.**

_Yeeeeeeeeah._

** _THAT BIRTHDAY._ **

You'll agree, "Yeeeeah.... Renting a live tiger for a petting zoo was NOT really the smartest idea."

"Oh, for sure. I'm just shocked Jude didn't have any nightmares over it," Joey pauses, then shakes her head. "Annnyways. So. Uh..."

"It'll be a pain correcting birth certificates and everything with the Schools, but..." You sigh. "I mean. What's done is done and it's not like we're going to magically come across yet ANOTHER Shaper Crystal somewhere, right?"

Joey quietly mutters something about 'not unless we meet an undepending egg bird' or something weird like that, but strangely the sentence blows away into the void before you can even pick up any other detail from it, as she then remarks, louder, "No, I'm pretty sure that any Spare Shaper Crystals are firmly well outside of our narrative relevance for atleast a good eight or nine years."

You blink. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I'm tempting fate to prove me wrong," Joey answers.

"Ah, fair enough," you nod. Then, you ask. "So... should I offer John that I rename him- her- or-?"

"You should ask them, that," Joey says. "But... Rose said she had some suggestions. Both Roses, actually. Though, older Rose just said her list was probably the same as her younger self and then she and Kanaya absconded through Rose's Relto Book for their 'hey we survived' eloping-honeymoon-vacation thing. Keller wasn't happy they skipped out early, that's for sure."

"...Wait, what?" You ask, changing the subject. _"They're ELOPING?!?"_

"Yes," Joey answers. "I think it was either that or they wanted to try a D'ni style wedding? I dunno. They didn't exactly give me any information before linking away like they were going to run out of tuxes and bridal dresses at the store."

"Are D'ni weddings fast?" You ask.

"I have no idea, Roxy. Why don't you go ask someone from the DRC?" Joey answers.

"Yeah, sure," you probably won't ever get around to it. "...Anyways. I'll go talk with Rosey and John. See what's up there."

"Fair enough," Joey nods.

The discussion you had with your kids lasted almost about two hours, including breaks for ice cream.

In the end, your son-turned-daughter had decided that she was happy enough looking like her sister's actual sibling that she didn't care which sex her body actually was. Rose gave you that look, though, like she knew she had other reasons for being happy with it. But... neither of you wanted to say anything.

Rose felt guilty for not taking the time to ask to use the crystal rather than planning an elaborate heist. And, well, while you're sure she was punished enough from the horror of having to sit through the Shaper Crystal 'teaching' this 'lesson,' she still insisted you give her some other form of punishment for it...

So, you asked if John had any alternate names chosen, and no, there weren't any preferred alternate names. So, you looked to Rose and told her... "Your punishment is choosing a new name, and then helping me do all the paperwork needed to make the change."

And so Rose had thought it over for another half an hour... before offering a slew of suggestions. John narrowed it down a bit, and then Rose thought it over for another few hours more.

It wasn't until around dinner time that she finally suggested June as a name to replace John.

You'd both spend the next few days working on the relevant paperwork and getting it pushed through the system.

Honestly, the fact that the SGC had managed to add "Exposure to Alien Artifact/Exotic Energy Particles" as a reason for making such changes to so many of these legal forms in just the short period of time after Disclosure was more terrifying than anything else about this whole situation.  
  
That said, you had some very sharp words with Carolyn Lam after it was all said and done that are decidedly unfit for print in anything outside of a much higher rating for a story of this nature.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone's interested in D'ni Marriage Traditions, here's an online copy of a journal from URU Live:  
http://www.mystwiki.com/wiki/Marriage_Notebook
> 
> Also, before anyone asks... Yes, Mom Lalonde *DID* indeed summon a Tiger and set it loose on MSPAR during Rose's Pesterquest route. That is what the refrance. 
> 
> Speaking of Pesterquest, Jade Route this wednesday!! WOOO!


	4. SGA:04X02: Howling Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five Moons, plus a City full of Werewolves, equals absolutely nothing going wrong.
> 
> Honestly!!

**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 17TH, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 04/26/0006.**

"I believe that's everything we have to discuss finalized?" Lord El Melloi inquired.

"I think that's everything, yes," Colonel Truman replied.

"Very well then," Lord El Melloi the Second stood, "Mikari Aiikho, we expect you to make the necessary transitions over by the end of next week."

"Very well," she nods. "I look forwards to working with you all."

As the delegates rose from their seats, General Jack O'neill observed that the replacement IOA reps were the only ones who visibly were showing this dissatisfaction over the situation. But that was mostly because they'd been brought into a royal dogshit mess caused by their most recent predecessors. They'd been woefully under-prepared.

Externally, Jack was all smiles satisfied...

Internally? He was loathing how he was going to break the news.

* * *

"They want me to run Atlantis!?" Your name is Samantha Carter, and you stare at your annoyed husband with an equal mix of horror, annoyance, and shock.

"Well, they want Jolinar, specifically, but they also don't want her changing hosts because, Hey! You've ALSO got all the same experience and expertise they want!" Jack huffs. "God, fucking damn it, they interrupted our honeymoon for this shit."

"Well, we knew something like this was going to happen eventually," you say. "I just didn't think they were going to go for Jolinar, specifically."

Your Tok'ra partner nudges, and you let her speak.** "It's... certainly not something I was expecting either. That they'd want This Me specifically and not the other me who's already on Atlantis."**

"Mikari said she's going to take the weekend before coming to talk to you about it, said to let me warn you so you had 'time to think,'" Jack says. "You don't have to take it, but... given the fact that the IOA barely agreed to it because Sam's from Earth..."

Jolinar nods. **"They're likely going to try pushing for us to accept it. And I'm going to need that time to think..."** She hands you back the reigns, as she retreats within her own mind to mull over the decision.

"What about Rodney's situation?" You ask.

"He's trying to get his sister to agree to moving off Earth with her family to get them out of trouble," Jack answers. "Either to Atlantis or whatever the new project ship ends up called."

"I don't think it'll be that easy," you grimace.

"No, it's probably not," Jack sighs. "Atleast the Alfheim and AIncrad teams should be arriving by tonight now that everything's settled away."

"Still," you frown. "Atlantis."

"The Replicator situation's what put you at the top of the line once Mikari gave Joey's requested sallary," Jack cracks a grin, tired as it may be. "As nice a guy as Woolsey is, you should'a seen the look on his face when he counted out aaaall those zeroes."

You chuckle. "I can only imagine."

* * *

_ **WAA WAAA! KAWOOOOSH!** _

The Atlantis Stargate activated with fanfare, shield raised until the IDC came through, and then, a few moments later...

The people transferring from Aincrad and Atlantis came through the rippling portal of standing not-water.

Your name is Keiko Ayano, and you hold your breath as you wait... wait...

And then there!

"Silica! Touya! Minori! Yuuki!" You wave towards the four of them. "Over here!!"

"Hey!" Your alternate-dimension twin grins. "Keiko!!" She leads the others over to you while the rest of the group peer around either in awe or barely restrained 'is this really it? it's so.... retro!' disappointment. (Guess which world's people were having which reactions.)

Your Pina takes to the air over the Gateroom as Silica's Pina takes to the air as well- both of them launching in near synch from yours and Silica's respective shoulders. They cry out with "KYUUIIS!" of glee at being reunited.

You, meanwhile, give Silica a hug. "It's been way too long!" You say.

"It has been!" Silica nods, hugging back.

"Group hug!" Yuuki suddenly declares before anything else can happen- tragging Touya and Minori into a hug around you and Silica.

Unsurprisingly, the two Pinas decide to land on your heads, completing the tangle of limbs.

"Yeeeah," Silica purrs. "This is nice."

* * *

"Well, Daraya?"

You are Daraya Jonjet, and your vision isn't improving any since the last appointment. Not like it had been up until then.

The chart across from you is stubbornly unchanged from yesterday.

Blurry.

You cant make out the shape of any but the largest letters, and even then, they're distorted sideways like...

Like it's out of focus.

"...Sorry, Doctor Fraiser, but I'm not seeing any improvement from yesterday," you answer. "I don't think I'm getting any better."

"Hrm," Doctor Fraiser moves infront of you, and gazes at your eyes. "They seem healed up just fine, now, on the surface. If you're not seeing any more improvement, it could be the healing has tapered off... or it's hit the limit of what you can naturally recover from. We should consider getting you glasses."

_Mrrrrrhhh..._

"Fine," you sigh. "Let's just get it over with."

You're put up against a fancy lens machine, and are told to gaze at the same wall you have been.

You blink as you gaze at the chart of letters on the wall seem... slightly more in focus than before.

"How is the current settings?" Fraiser asks.

"Little better, actually," you answer.

"Alright, we'll start dialing it in to try and get you some lenses that should get you back to where you were before everything that happened."

"...Meh." You sigh. "I'll never be like I was before, Doc." A few flicks of a wheel, and suddenly, the letters are a bit worse in focus. "Uh- Worse. That's worse."

"Well-" Fraiser flicks the wheels back to where they were, and starts dialing in the other direction. "In terms of vision, we can get you back to where you were before.-" Wheel flick. Better. "-Wearing Glasses is a thing that a lot of people end up dealing with back on Earth, Daraya. And on Alternia, too. It's normal for vision to change and need correction to get back to better vision.." Wheel flick.

"Better. Is it normal to have to wear glasses after getting exploded in the face?" You ask. Wheel flick. "Worse." Flick back. Other direction on a different wheel. "Better."

"Yes, some people have had their vision damaged in some way by explosives or getting flashed with a bright light," Fraiser continues. "Considering that you were totally blind to begin with, it's a major improvement to just need corrective lenses, Daraya."

"But even sunglasses look weird on me!" you protest. "I just can't pull the glasses look off. And with how active our lives can be, I'd rather not loose them in a fight!"

"Well, there's always goggles," Fraiser jokes.

"...Goggles?" you ask.

"Yes, Goggles. Like, prescription sports goggles. Cloth bands, go around the whole head. Nearly impossible to knock off."

Wheel flick.

And everything just sort of... snaps into perfect focus.

"Huh." You say. "That's just about perfect."

* * *

[ **o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg)

* * *

"Alright, so your rooms are just down the hall from me and Mallek!" Keiko says as she guides you all down a hallway.

You are Silica, and you can't help but smile as she passes a certain door, and motions at it.

"That's us right there. If You need anything, just come knock," Keiko explains. "Now. Let's see now," She checks a guide. "Looks like... Ah! Here we go!" She heads along a bit further, then stops near two doors. "One on my left is Touya and Yuuki's, one on my right is Silica and Minori's." She pauses, then says, "The Pool and the Showers are down the hall, continuing in the direction we've been walking in. You can't miss it."

And then with a smile, a nod, and a bow, Keiko excuses herself to let you all get settled in.

Touya and Yuuki immediately claim their room, locking the door behind them almost as soon as they'd slipped through.

"Those two sure are excited, aren't they?" Minori asks, shaking her head.

"Yeah," you laugh. "They sure are."

You and Minori enter your room. Pina takes off from your shoulder almost immediately to make for the tree-nest that had been provided ahead of time.

"Well, isn't this spacious!" Minori smiles, peering around. "Oh! Look! Another door!" She rushes over to that door, and opens it.

The scent of the sea breeze wafts into the room.

"Oh! Wow! We've got a balcony!"

You move over to the door, and peer out over the city.

Your room is nestled on the outside of a building adjacent to the central tower and serves as a midway point for it and another building- each of them connected by bridges inbetween, angling outwards and forwards on your immediate left and right.

The view has you peering out between two of the main piers that make up the city's outside edges. The ocean laps at the edges of the city, and the wind blows through the gaps between buildings, skimming the void between with a pleasant howl of breeze. The sun sets towards the horizion behind you, casting gleaming reflections on everything that's facing you.

Two moons are visible in the sky, growing more and more visible as the seconds pass and the sky darkens.

"Wow," you exhale. "Keiko really knows how to pick a view."

"...That she did." Minori agrees, grabbing your hand and squeezing it tight.

There's a few minutes of relative silence as you both just stare outwards at the ocean...

"...Wait," you suddenly realize something. "Did she say the Showers are down the hallway? Did we not get a shower in our room?"

The answer to that would be no, no you did not.

...Apparently, there was a checkbox on the application forms you missed. Damn that sneaky paperwork!!

* * *

"So... Glasses huh?" Your name is Tyzias Entykk, and you can't help but smile imagining how cute your Matesprit would look in glasses.

"Goggles, really," Daraya says, shifting in bed next to you to gaze up at the ceiling. "But I'll be trying out frames in a couple of days. Apparently those count more as necessary supplies to the IOA than proper sport shoes."

"Eh?" You ask, not really getting it. "What?"

"Some girl in the infirmary today twisted her ankle cause she doesn't have the right shoes for playing volleyball here," Daraya explains. You watch her squint, as if trying to make something focus a bit easier. "Stupid IOA. None of this would've happened if it weren't for them."

"No, it wouldn't have," you agree.

"Sooo.... Mikari's getting replaced," Daraya sighs. "Any idea who's replacing her yet?"

"I talked with John, actually, after they got back," you start. "Apparently they all want Samantha Carter and Jolinar to run the place because of the Replicator situation."

Daraya glances at you, incredulously. "Seriously?"

"If they don't take it, I hear the next best option is Joey," you say.

Daraya snorts. "Hah! I heard her talking about her asking price for that from Keiko. There's no way she's getting the job."

"Yeah," you agree. "As nice as it would be to work with her more permanently again, though... no way I'm seeing it happen."

* * *

**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 17TH, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 04/26/0006.**

Your name is Mallek Adalov, and you awake in the middle of the night (Okay, more like, 1:43 A.M. according to the nearest clock) to the sound of Keiko growling next to you.

"Keiko?" You ask, snapping fully awake when you recognize that's a lot of pain and frustration in those growls. "What's going on?" You sit up, and look her over.  
Keiko's kneeling in bed, clothes discarded and patches of fur rippling across her limbs and body. There one moment, gone the next.

_"Ffff..."_ She snarls. "Fucking Moons! I'm barely-** nngh!**\- keeping it in check...!"

"Shit!" you swear. "What do I do!?"

"Gah! _**I DON'T KNOW!**_" She snaps- her shoulders briefly inflating in size for a few moments. _"**JUst- NAH!** Get Pina and- **aaaRGH**\- get the fuck out of here so I can turn incase I lose_**\- NNNGH- CONTROL.**_ Alright!?"_

You nod reluctantly and grab a slumbering Pina from her perch and exit the room.

You close the door behind you, making sure to lock it, and...

The sudden howl of a werewolf fills the air- but it's not from your room, no. It's from down the hall. And then there's another one too, same distance.

Touya and Yuuki's room, you'd be willing to bet.

And THEN that's when you hear a similar howl from your room- and the sound nearly rattles your bones to the core from the vibrations alone.

That's... Not Normal.

...A few more moments after that, you start hearing more howls- distant- from across the city.

"Shit." You swear. Of COURSE every other person in Atlantis who happened to get wolf ears and tails from Zillyum exposure would go wolf-mode on the new planet.  
Because things couldn't be THAT easy, could it?

Five fucking moons. Of course that'd be something you should have considered.

* * *

Your name is Jade Jackson, and you're pretty sure you succeeded in your one personal goal because you actually got a full night's sleep despite the unease settled deep in your bones since you came to this planet.

You got pregnant, so the wolf-mode refuses to trigger when forced from an outside force. Handy little safety precaution there and an easy way to tell, you guess. Not that you'd ever have thought to check on that, given how rarely you use the transformation, but... whatever.

You mean, it's either _***THAT***_ or it's some after-shock residue of the Unending trip you took during the Wedding. But really, it's probably the pregnancy thing since there's actually precedence for that among the Cu Sidhe of Alfheim.

"So..." Argo starts as they sit down at Mikari's desk in the Admin's room. "Let's get this straight. Early this morning, every person with wolf-traits save for Jade wound up being forcibly transformed for five hours?"

"Yeah," Tyzias nods. "Daraya freaked the fuck out and was sure she was going to lose control again, so she had me and Barzum bail from the room just to be safe."

"Yeah," Mallek nods. "Same thing happened with Keiko, and anyone else who happened to have a room mate, from what I heard."

"Okay, so, we need to figure out what the hell the moons are doing to cause this," Argo decides. "We've got five of them to check, so... we're going to need to figure this out and fast before another forced transformation."

"Safety wise," you start, "I think every wolf-able person on Atlantis should either go to the Alpha Site, or to the mainland, see if either helps."

"That's..." Argo nods. "Yeah, that's a good idea. We should also have one person capable of it on each team that investigates the moons directly."

"Isn't it just a case of Earth's mythological full moon affecting the transformation times five?" Mallek asks.

"Not necessarily," Tyzias says. "Lantea had a moon and nobody was forcibly transformed by it during the full stages. It could be there's something up there on one of those moons that's causing an adverse reaction. If we figure out what it is, we could probably put a stop to it if it's something stoppable."

"It's not like we can just pick up the City and fly away right now anyways," you say. "Stardrive's still down and the conduits are still being repaired. So... We're stuck living with it if we can't fix it."

"So, we get it out of the way first in the short period of time we have before the new commander takes over," Argo nods. "So. Let's get on this before sunset, just incase things start accelerating."

* * *

You are now John Sheppard, and you're flying a Puddle Jumper up towards one of the five moons over the planet.

You're short Rodney, but have subbed in Daraya in his place. She's insisting on staying in the back of the Jumper incase a closed distance causes her to transform.

"So..." Ronon begins, "what do you guys think it is?"

"If I had to wager a guess, I would say it's likely an Ancient or Wraith project gone wrong," Teyla guesses.

"Nah," you say. "I'd say it's a rift in space time that got punched open and something fell through from another dimension."

"Why not both?" Daraya asks from the back of the Jumper. "Ancient AND Wraith hybrid project gone wrong from another dimension that found its way here."

"What about you, Ronon?" You ask, glancing at him. "Got any ideas."

Ronon stares out the window at the rapidly approaching moon, smirks, and says, "Daedalus."

"Huh?" you ask, confused. "What do you mean by Daedalus? It's not supposed to be back in Pegasus for another week."

"No, I mean, a Daedalus from another dimension crash landed on the moon and that's what's causing it," Ronon says. "That's my guess. And. I'm willing to put money on it."

"Really now?" You glance at Teyla, who shrugs. "Alright then, I'm willing too. What're you offering if you lose?"

"Three weeks pay," Ronon answers, confident.

"So, Rodney and Zelenka's recurring bet then?" Daraya asks. "Except with three weeks instead of one?"

"That sounds fine with me," you say. "Teyla?"

"I..." Teyla glances out the window, then shakes her head. "I believe that I will retract my wager entirely."

...Now why would she-?

"Fine," you say, turning to look back out the wind--

That's when the Jumper's proximity alarm fires off.

"Oh," you say, as the crashed remains of what's almost certainly a BC-304 Daedalus cruiser lay perfectly in sight- nestled at an awkward angle, hidden from normal sight, between two mountain ranges. "I see how this is day is going." You take to the radio. "Atlantis, this is Sheppard. I think we've got eyes on what might be causing us trouble."

_"Really? What is it?"_ Argo asks in turn, over the radio.

"You're not going to believe this, but..." You start to explain.

* * *

"It's a dimensional clone of the Daedalus," your name is Gordon Freeman, and you hate your life. "Why am**_ *I*_ **being brought up to look at it for?"

**"Because Sheppard asked us to bring you up,"** Lantash remarks as He/Jimmyy O'neill pilots the Jumper to the moon. "**You've got the most experience with this kind of thing, anyways."**

"Also, without Rodney staying here with Atlantis," Morgan Carter says, "you're on Sheppard's shortlist for filling the vacant spot on his team."

"I'm WHAT?" You ask.

"You didn't know?" Morgan asks, frowning.

"No! Why would I ever step foot through the Stargate!? I hate portals! I hate 'em with a vengeance!" You protest. "I'm a fly by space only kind of guy!"

Needless to say, the crashed ship comes into view, and the Jumper heads for the exposed 302 Bay.

You put on your spacesuit's helmet, already knowing the damned ship isn't pressurized.

* * *

The floor of the 302 bay tilts at an angle- the 302s all lay crashed together against one side of the entire bay.

Your name is Kohiru Karren, and you sigh in relief upon not seeing a hint of your own ship somewhere in amongst the pile. Your helmet fogs up briefly from the exertion, but clears up rapidly enough...

Of course, it could be in the other 302 bay, but you're going to hold out hope.

You glance at Rhubee, and ask, on a private channel, "Seeing any Death echoes?"

"No," your partner answers, gazing around. "I don't think anyone died in here."

"Alright," Sheppard radios to everyone. "I think that's everyone here. Lorne, you and your team keep guard here in the Jumper Bay. Karren, O'neill, AR-2, head for the bridge, see what you can find in the ship's black box. Xaolon, Carter, Freeman, you're with Me, Teyla, and Ronon. We're heading for the engine room to try and get power and life support back on. Keep in radio contact every fifteen minutes. If you find anything, say so immediately and where."

There are murmurs of agreement, and your group breaks off for the bridge.

It's a slow. steady climb downwards. What should be flat hallways are tilted at a steep angle that if you're not careful and if the gravity were any higher, you'd slip and fall.

"So... Anyone else creeped out by all of this?" O'neill asks.

"No, actually," Keiko says. "I'm more concerned over whatever it is here that's making people turn werewolf uncontrollably. I'd *really* like to get that shut off, if it's here."

"What else could it be?" Tyzias asks. "This ship sure as hell has been here long before we showed up. And we know some Alternate City Ship got tele-fragged into an iceberg back in Alfheim. It's probably the same root problem. Bad Dimensional Jump Drive turning over and pouring out radiation that makes Werewolves go mad."

"If it's even a _*dimensional*_ jump drive," Mallek says. "For all we know it's a temporal jump drive instead."

"That would suck, wouldn't it?" you ask. "We survived all that shit only for a time travel experiment to go wrong and wreck the Daedalus."

You come to an elevator shaft, and Keiko moves to start prying the doors open. "...Ngh! Okay. That's wedged pretty tight. Daraya, help me out here?"

"I can't see clear, but atleast I can lift, right?" the girl chuckles, moving over to grab one side of the elevator doors, while Keiko takes firm grip of the other.

With a shared grunt of mutual exertion, the doors slowly pry open, revealing a dark abyss inside for all of three or four seconds before emergency lights click on and reveal the interior of the elevator car.

You immediately try not to be sick inside your helmet.

"Oh fuck!" Tyzias exclaims.

"...Well, shit," Mallek swears.

"It just HAD to be something!" Keiko complains.

"...What is it?" Daraya asks. "All I see are blurry shapes on the floor. Are they duffle bags or something?"

**"No,"** Lantash speaks for O'neill. _**"They're bodies."**_

* * *

"Bodies?" Your name is Jennifer Keller, and you feel a little sick to your stomach as you hear the news.

_"They're pretty mummified, so they've been here for a while,"_ Keiko reports over the radio. _"Probably even before life support shut down, if I had to guess. It looks like they both went werewolf and clawed eachother to death. I found some, uh, dog tags though, no pun intended. The military kind. They were definitely Earth born Daedalus crew. Not names I recognize, though."_

"I'll take the next Jumper up as soon as you've gotten the atmosphere turned back on," you promise. "If you've found a few bodies, you're going to find more, I think."

_"Oh, for sure,"_ Keiko answers. _"Because it's always something."_

* * *

"Oh, well. That's not good," Sheppard remarks.

"Obviously," Ronon quips in return. "There's no hyperdrive."

Your name is Rhubee Xaolon, and you snort at that exchange despite the uneven keel of the sight before you.

The main control room for the Hyperspace Drive and Power Core is tilted at the usual uneven angle. Staring through the window to the Hyperdrive itself?

...There's a perfectly spherical section of grassy flatlands that *looks* like it's severely tilted at a bad angle, but... it's actually level with what should be the ground below the ship.

After a few moments of staring, a sphere of light engulfs the oddity, and when it vanishes, the grasslands have been replaced with a dense section of pine forest.

"I have no idea what that is," Doctor Freeman remarks, "but it looks extra-dimensional in nature."

"Whatever the cause of this distortion is," Teyla says, "perhaps it brought along something that caused last night's events, and when it took it away later, that caused the end of it?"

"Probably," Morgan says, getting out a pocket watch. "We'll have to keep time to see how long each event lasts. Or see if they repeat any."

"If that's the case," Sheppard says, "let's get atmosphere and artificial gravity online. I'm tired of walking at angles everywhere."

"Right," the team breaks up to get to work.... but you just stare out the window.

You have a feeling that whatever happened last night is going to happen again.

There's an itching beneath your skin that wasn't there before.

"Xaolon! Take guard," Sheppard orders.

"R-Right!" You go take up a guarding position at the front door.

* * *

"Well, shit," your name is Tyzias Entykk, and you scowl. "This is a bloody mess."

The Bridge is covered in piles of bones and massive bloodstains. No sign of any full corpses, though. But, it's hard to tell in the dim, emergency only lighting.

"Let's hurry up and find the black box," Keiko says. "This place is setting the wolf in me on edge."

"Yeah," Daraya answers. "I can barely see anything, and I'm picking up on it."

"You don't think whatever's in here's the cause of it, do you?" Karren asks.

"Probably not," Mallek says.

You begin gingerly stepping over the remains on the floor to find one of the bridge's many black boxes, of which there should be atleast five.

You kneel down and start checking the floorboards... but it's already been pried loose. "First one's a strike out. It's been removed."

"Same here," Keiko answers a minute later.

"Yeah, empty," Mallek confirms.

"Fourth one's empty too," Karren reports.

...Fucking suspicious.

"So someone took them all?" Daraya asks.

"Maybe, maybe not," you go and check for the one that, if this Daedalus were designed anything like the 304s from your timeline, should be the one only people who read the blueprints would be aware of...

And hah. What do you know?

...There's no hidden panel here.

You radio, "Entykk to Sheppard. We struck out on the black boxes."

_"Alright,"_ Sheppard answers. _"We've just about got main battery online..."_

That's when you hear a thump of a generator kicking on, and the bridge's main lighting flickers on.

Then, Gravity shifts, and you suddenly feel pulled to level out with the floor.

You stumble a bit, and then check your suit's external sensors. "No atmosphere?"

"We're working on it. We think there's a hull breach preventing it from sealing right. See if there's anything in the computers," Sheppard answers. "We've got to figure out what happened here."

* * *

"Okay, even though it looks like someone went to a LOT of trouble to scrub most of the ship's internal database," your name is Gordon Freeman, and... "I think I've hit the mother load of information! I found a backup partition that got left alone."

"What've we got here, then?" Sheppard asks.

"It looks like," you scowl, trying to scroll your tablet and having a hard time of it due to the gloves.

You really wish there was working atmosphere on this thing, too, but that's beside the point.

"It looks like they were transporting an artifact from Earth to Atlantis in an attempt to keep it away from the people who wanted it," you explain.

"What kind of artifact and who were they keeping it from?" Teyla asks.

"It doesn't say," you answer. "What it DOES say is that somewhere along the way they were assaulted before they even reached the void between galaxies, and they were forced to use an experimental Hyperdrive to escape from the attack, which, naturally, went wrong and dumped them into a dimension where a Lycanthropy Virus got set loose in Milky Way. They didn't know that at the time, stopped at the nearest planet for repairs, and got attacked and infected. Apparently whatever they were carrying attracted Werewolves like mad to it."

You stop to try to scroll, to not much success. UGH.

"I'll bet that's what's going on down there then," Rhubee says in the mean time, gesturing out the window at the section of pine forest. "And what happened last night. That artifact's stuck in the center of one of those circles of space-time, and when it got phased back in, it drew the attention of every Cu Sidhe on Atlantis to it."  
Finally, you scroll down a bit more, read it, and... "Ah, yeah. That's pretty much it, actually. The remaining crew that didn't seem to be infected took the Daedalus on to Atlantis with the modified hyperdrive, leaving most everyone else behind. When they exited Hyperspace, there was no Atlantis where it was expected, and before they could figure out what was wrong, they crash landed on a moon they didn't see coming."

**"Let me guess,"** Jolinar interjects from Morgan's mouth. **"The Hyperdrive then detonated something fierce, causing a massive displacement of space time from other dimensions, and when Lycanthropy began surfacing in the remaining crew, they threw the artifact into the swirling mass of dimensions?"**

_"Yeeep."_ You nod, and say, "That about sums it up. It even says they tried turning it off first before hurling it into the rift, but... that's the last entry."

"So... if it only just cycled around last night, why haven't people reacted stronger to it before then?" Sheppard asks. "All they've felt is an uneasy anxiousness for the last few days. So, what happened last night?"

"I'll keep digging and see if I can find anything," you say. "But if I had to guess? Someone turned it On."

There was a whining keen, and a flash of light then, and the transplaneted forest was suddenly replaced with a large chunk of frigid, frozen ice.

"...Let's get the atmosphere turned on, that's going to make things chill down quick," You say.

* * *

It took some time and doing, but the ruptures in the hull were sealed, and force shields were turned on around the 302 Bays, allowing the Daedalus to be repressurized.

That's when you found something utterly concerning.

"The power core shut down the ship's everything to power The Asgard Beaming Buffer and only the Beaming Buffer," your name is Keiko Ayano, and you breathe a bit easier without the helmet on. The space suit is staying on, though, just to be on the safe side. "As far as we can tell, there's only one thing stored inside it right now."

"What is it?" Sheppard asks over the radio.

"No idea," you report. "But the Bridge got a prompt as soon as the atmosphere kicked on asking if we wanted to rematerialize it in the Infirmary. We're heading down there now to take a look when we retrieve it."

"It sounds to me like someone pulled a King Arthur," Tyzias remarks. "Beamed themselves into storage to wait for rescue."

"Probably whoever took the black boxes, too, I'd imagine," Mallek nods.

It doesn't take you too much longer to reach the infirmary, and with a few taps of a tablet...

_ **PVVVVMMM-SHING!** _

A small figure in a very futuristic, almost skin tight spacesuit collapses onto the floor, apparently not having taken into consideration the idea that gravity might have been restored when they were re-materailized.

You head over to check on them. They're kneeling on the floor, moving a bit unsteadily, as if trying to catch their breath.

"Hello?" You ask, turning on your radio just in case. "Are you okay in there?"

The figure freezes- the helmeted head turns slightly to one side, allowing you to get a decent look at the cracked lenses over where the eyes would be- and then...

_"Um... Hello? Yes, I'm fine. I think."_ A girl's voice clicks over the radio in turn, and not only is it a girl's voice, it's a familiar one too.

"Oh, shit," Karren mutters, catching it too.

_"Just... can you help me get the helmet off?"_ The girl in the suit asks._ "It got jammed before I beamed myself into storage, and the lenses aren't working right."_

"Sure, just give me a moment." You start to work at the latches of the rather unfamiliar designed spacesuit, and then remove the helmet with a faint push of exertion.

There's a puff of air, and you reveal a very human looking version of Rhubee Xaolon.

"Hoo!" She exhales. "That was... something else. Man. It sure took Atlantis long enough to-" and then she stops upon taking a REAL look at your whole team. And for a moment, she looks utterly terrified. "...Uh... You guys are from Atlantis, right? Not... Some random scavengers from Pegasus going around and tearing up crashed ships?? Please tell me you're from Atlantis."

"We are," you say. "We're pretty sure you're in a different dimension from the one you were expecting, though. I'm Keiko," you offer her your hand. "Keiko Ayano. I run AR-2. Those are my teammates, Mallek, Daraya, and Tyzias. They and Karren are from the Alternia Galaxy."

"I guess that makes sense, but..." The human girl narrows her eyes, suspiciously. "...I've Never heard of you. Heard of the team, but not the names, or the galaxy."

"How about Colonel John Sheppard?" you ask.

"...Him I've heard of," she says.

You radio. "Colonel Sheppard? We've got a girl here who could use an authentication code."

_"Got it," _ he radios back, and rattles off an authentication code.

"That's..." the girl before you exhales, visibly slumping in relief. "Well. That's something else."

* * *

You are Rhubee Xaolon, and you're staring at a human, alternate dimension version of yourself.

"First Lieutenant Ruby Branwen, Guild of Maintainers Remnant Squad!" The girl salutes as she introduces herself to everyone- gathered now properly in the Engine Room. "Reporting for Duty, Sir!"

"Why don't you tell us what happened, Lieutenant?" Sheppard asks. "And start from the beginning. The Ship's missing a lot of its memory."

"Yeah, that was Colonel Ozma's decision," Lt. Branwen shakes her head. "He beamed them outside of the ship after we crashed. Said it was safer if scavengers didn't know what we were carrying." She takes a moment to steel herself. "And what we were carrying was something amazing and horrible all at the same time. It's a long story. A. Really. REALLY. Long story."

"You said Guild of Maintainers in your introduction," Morgan starts, "does that mean you're from D'ni?"

"Ah, sort of?" Lt. Branwen scratches at her nose. "My father's a human Safety Inspector for the DRC, my mother was D'ni, though. She came from Releeshan to help with the restoration because she felt it was the right thing for her to do. They met, had me... You know. The usual?" She shrugs, looking a little uneasy. "I ended up being part of the DRC's reborn Guild of Maintainers located on Earth, rather than Releeshan's Maintainers Guild."

"That's... not happened for us yet," Daraya says. "There hasn't even been talk about that, actually."

"Huuuh. Weird," Lt. Branwen frowns. "...What year is it?"

"2002," you say. "October 17th, 2002.”

“Oh, fuck,” she exhales. “Not only was it a dimension jump, but it was a time jump too. I froze myself in the buffer on February 4th, 2016. Or, well, what should have been February 4th, 2016.”

“How long has your Atlantis expedition been running, then?” Sheppard asks.

“Eh, about four years now?” Lt. Branwen shrugs. “We only discovered it in late 2011, so I’m a bit iffy on the dates.”

“That’s quite the time difference,” Teyla observes.

“And yet sort of the same, too,” Ronon says.

“We came to Atlantis in Early 2001,” Sheppard says. “It’s almost 2003 in another couple of months. Almost three years for us.”

“Given that, and that you’ve never heard of Alternia, we can pretty safely rule out this Daedalus is from our future,” Freeman says.

“Yeah, I... I guess there’s no real way for me to get home, after everything that happened,” Lt. Branwen sighs, and god, you feel sorry for your alternate self.

She has your face, your voice, your eyes, just... not your race or psychic powers. It’s weird. And she’s from the future too? What the hell, Multiverse?

“Anyways,” she continues, unaware of your thoughts. “The SGC and DRC worked together behind the scenes, working to get Goa’uld and D’ni tech slowly integrated into Earth’s techbase. That’s when someone got the bright idea to start mixing in Bahro technology into it all. This jerk, Torchwick, decided to take a Bahro Linking Relic, and combined it a D’ni power source and a Goa’uld oneshot-DHD device. We don’t know how he did it, but he stole a Cargo Ship, went to another planet, and sold the damned thing to Ba’al, who started using it to... well, we don’t know what it was meant to do or what Ba’al was trying to do with it, but it caused a massive rift in space time to form straight through the entire Dakara star system. When it cleared, there was nothing left but the Stargate, the modified dialing device, and a charred skeleton clinging to both.”

_ **What the Fuck.** _

“We stole the dialer back, but the Ori wanted it too. We figured, Pegasus would be a safe place for it. And we couldn’t risk bringing it near a Stargate incase it was any active wormhole that caused the explosive detonation, so...” Lt. Branwen shook her head, yet again. “We thought as long as it was powered down, we could travel through space safely. But then we got attacked by the Ori, and we had to jump into Hyperspace with the Linking Drive we’d designed... But...” She trails off.

You see a familiar look of fear on her face, strange only in that it’s not twisted by a mirror in reflection.

“We got lost. We should have realized the stupid thing was working on subspace interference principles even when turned off. ‘Cause even turned OFF it causes werewolves to want to hunt it down, and turned ON? Turning it on it forced that stupid virus to transform people even faster, and it made them feral. Murderous. We got away again, and crashed on the moon.” After a pause, she concludes. "We thought something horrible had gone wrong in Pegasus when we didn't see Atlantis. But another dimension? We didn’t even realize we were jumping Dimensions. We just thought the coordinates were wrong the first time."

“Then what happened?” Ronon asks.

“We were trying to figure out what to do next when the Hyperdrive exploded, but...” Lt. Branwen shakes her head. “I can’t remember what happened after that. When I came to, I was in my Maintainer Suit, floating here in the engine room, and the ship’s atmosphere had been vented. I rigged up the Asgard systems to beam me into stasis while I waited for someone to come find the ship, if they ever did.”

And if they didn’t, the thought went unsaid, atleast she wouldn’t have been aware of anything else.

“But, you guys showed up to... uh... why did you guys show up exactly?” Lt. Branwen trailed off, frowning at everyone in the room.

“We were forced to evacuate the planet we used to be on, bringing Atlantis here, where the Werewolves on the expedition felt nervous and uneasy up until last night when everyone suddenly transforming for a few hours,” Sheppard explained the situation. “So, with all of that information you gave us, I think it’d probably be safest to destroy the modified dialer rather than just try shutting it down.”

“So... you’re all feeling the call of that thing right now?” Lt. Branwen asked of the Werewolves in the room. They nod, and she looks faint. “Oh Maker, what have I gotten myself into?”

* * *

There was another flash of light, and the iceberg chunk had been replaced by what seems to be the interior floor of some kind of spaceship. Something about the deep reds and dark greys and the oddly suspended railing seems familiar.

You are Gordon Freeman, and you peer out the window, scowling. “That’s annoyingly familiar.”

“You gotta wonder just what other worlds this thing is connected to,” Tyzias muses. “Is it like the quantum mirror where it’s tuning to specific locations and dimensions, regardless of the Daedalus’ current point in space time?”

“Who knows, I sure don’t,” you scowl. “It’s literal mater transposition on a set schedule. How does something like that even work?”

“If we knew more about how their Hyperdrive worked,” Tyzias scowls. “MAybe we could figure it out, but they wiped the data.”

You and she glance back at Doctor Keller as she looks over Lieutenant Ruby Branwen. Then, you both glance over at the door to the room where Rhubee Xaolon was talking with Kohiru Karren.

“This whole situation is fucked up,” you decide. “Of all the dimensions to crash land in, why ours?”

“Ours, huh?” Tyzias smirks at you.

“Oh, don’t start with me. That dimension may have given birth to me, but nobody in it sure as hell cared if I was happy with my life, that’s for sure,” you say. “So, ergo, in my opinion, it’s no more my dimension than an abusive or negligent bitch is a kids mother.”

“Sound enough logic,” Tyizas frowns.

Thankfully, before THAT awkward conversational topic can continue, Keiko calls for you and Tyzias to join her, Morgan, and Mallek over the computer logs.

“Okay, please tell me this isn’t what we think it is?” Keiko points at a line of data.

“Wait, is that the fucking spatial coordinates for the planet we found the broken Quantum Mirror on back in Alternia?” Tyzias asks.

“What about this?” Keiko points at another line of data.

“AAAhhh. Crap. I know those spatial coordinates. That’s the sequence string telling us where the Borealis landed up north- inside an Iceberg,” you wince. “Please tell me this data isn’t coming from a quantum computer that’s indeptendently drawing power from the rift and is making note of the spatial coordinates where matter is being transported to and from?”

“If I did, I’d be lying,” Keiko answers.

“Damn it.”

“We just got feedback from the latest location,” Morgan says, pointing at a third piece of code. “As soon as we saw this we realized what just got teleported to us.”

“...D’ni numbers,” Tyzias realizes.

“Not just D’ni numbers, but D’ni numbers detailing the spatial positioning of a large spherical structure orbiting within a planet’s ring,” Mallek summarizes. “I.E.: The To-”

“The Todelmer Pod that the Mofang Cruiser and the Borealis crashed into,” you interject. “Fuck.”

“The Pine Forest,” Mallek points back at the first line of code, then down at the second, “An Iceberg.” the third code. “A Space bound obervation pod. The data fits with where we know the Dimensional Walls are thin.”

“The anomaly jumping has increased since we turned the power on,” Morgan says. “Which means that it’s accelerating with us here. Before, it was firing off every five hours. Now, it’s increasing in rate. If we don’t find the device soon, it’s going to start cycling through every fucking dimension it can reach within seconds with no cooldown time.”

“Knowing what we know, now, though,” Mallek smirks, “I think we can track down which dimensional coordinates the Rift was set too this morning by looking at the timestamps.”

“So we find it, and then what?” You ask. “Force every werewolf we know to be stuck transformed?”

“No,” Tyzias starts, relaizing something. “We beam it into the Daedalus’ Asgard matter buffer and then delete it by purging the buffer.”

“Not only that,” Mallek says. “If we find THAT rift coordinates, we can also find the first rift that started all of this, and, if we’re lucky, swap back for the Daedalus Hyperdrive and dismantle it, if it’s still intact. Because if it’s still intact, it’s what’s continuing to cause the swapping.”

* * *

There is a knock at the door.

Your name is Teal’c, and you look up at door itself from your pre-return-to-jaffa-council-duties-meditation. You state, “Enter,” and in walks Samantha Carter- O’neill, rather. That’s a distinction you’re going to have to get used to.

“Hey, Teal’c,” she greets. “I’m not interrupting, am I?”

“No, you were not. I was just finishing.”

Samantha sits down across from you. She nods, in greeting.

You similarly nod in greeting, “What can I do for you, Samantha Carter?” Though, you suspect you know what it is she wants.

“So... Atlantis, huh?” she asks.

“I believe you and Jolinar will be very capable at leading them during this time of turmoil and crisis,” you say.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Samantha frowns.

“You are most welcome.” You then ask, “Has Mikari Aiikho come to speak with you yet?”

“Yeah. Jolinar told her we’d think on it.” Samantha says. “We’re... still thinking on it.”

“Are you not confident in your ability to run Atlantis?” You ask.

“No, I am, we are- it’s just-” Samantha hesitates. “Jack and I just got married. And now all of this so soon after it. We haven’t... really had time to bask, you know??”

You muse. “I agree, it seems to have been bad timing in that regard. However, the whims of fate so rarely align in ways that go how we wish. For what it is worth, I have my utmost faith that you will be able to do the most good there.”

“Yeah, we know,” Samantha sighs. “I just wish it were more straightforwards and easier to do.”

“Indeed,” you agree.

* * *

Your name is Daraya Jonjet, and you have a splitting headache as you try your best to focus your entire everything on keeping from transforming out of your spacesuit.

"Colonel Ozma!" A voice shouts- Rhubee? No, Ruby Branwen likely- sounding shocked and angry. "What are you doing!?"

_"It is as you said you yourself when you threw the Amulet into the rift, forcing me to chase after it, Lieutenant Branwen! _**'I am doing what needs to be done!'"** A man's voice yells in turn. _**"I call forth the armies of Hircine to-!"**_

"Now!" Tyzias's harsh whisper is as loud as a shout to your ears.

_ **PVVVVM-SHING!** _

And suddenly, the pressure inside your body ceases to build, and begins to relax. You gasp for breath.

**"WHAT!?"** The man yells out. _**"NO! THE AMULET!!! YOU FOOLS! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE--"**_

_**PCH-BWAM!** _And then the high pitched howl of Ronon's power blaster fires off- Glass shatters- followed immediately by that of several quick blasts of a P-90 and the man's sharp cry of pain.

You get to your knees, and then to your feet and peer out the window into the hyperdrive chamber. It takes you a moment to realize that the window itself is gone, and that the blur standing on the edge of the frame is actually Karren, pointing her Pink P-90 down into the room below, and a rather blurry, grey haired man, wearing what you can only guess are Daedalus Commander BDUs, lies on the ground, bleeding out, if not already dead, going by the massive pool of red.

And as for the ground itself? Even blurry, you can tell it's some kind of ancient looking temple- still tilted at an angle compared to the level floor of the ship.

"Well," you sniff at the air. "That was unpleasant."

"Tell me about it," Keiko groans from nearby, picking herself up off the ground. "Did we do it?"

"Yeah," Mallek reports. "We just purged the Asgard beaming buffer. It's gone."

"What was that guy talking about?" Rhubee asks of her other self.

"I... I don't know. I can't remember," Lt. Branwen answers. "But... did he mean I was the one who threw the Dialer into the rift? Why can't I remember??"

There's a flicker of light, and- WOW! Does that mess with your vision for a few moments.

Then, there's the sound of a generator stalling out.

...And that's when the gravity suddenly feels... slanted beneath your feet. It quickly rights itself after a moment, but... then the lights flicker and there's a strange hiccup in the airflow.

"Worry about that later! Helmets on, NOW!" Sheppard orders, barking that second part into the radio, and you all quickly reapply your helmets.

You've barely gotten your helmet-resecured when the gravity goes out, returning the ship's floring to its tilted angle, and the lights shut off again.

That's when you hear a buzzing alarm.

"Shiiiit," Freeman swore. "I was afraid that would happen."

"Afraid of what!?" Morgan asks.

"We ruptured *something* in the power grid switching to a specific dimension," Freeman says. "We gotta get out of here before the Daedalus explodes- or worse, hurls us into another dimension!"

"You should have said something!" Tyzias yells even as Sheppard calls for a retreat and immediate evac back to the Jumper Bay.

"I didn't think of it until Karren shot the bastard who probably sabotaged all of this to begin with!" Freeman answers.

"Less bickering, more escaping!!" You yell.

* * *

Your name is Mikari Aiikho, and you remember looking absolutely tired as you gazed into the mirror.

Days of negotiating, and you were so tired out that you crashed in bed the minute it was really over and you were able to get some rest.

You'd been snoozing away ever since and only just woke up around that time.

You still looked like a tired mess, though.

_Bluh._

You didn't even have the energy to add an exclamation mark to that Bluh, let alone any excessive number of them.

_Bluh._

You were SO not ready to in any condition to be narrative centric at the moment.

What even was the purpose of this cutaway anyways?

Past You squinted at the mirror.

Was it just you just didn't want to write out a boring sequence of running through hallways to escape from-

* * *

You are now Jolinar of the altered timeline, and you peer out Morgan's eyes through the Jumper's windshield as the crashed Daedalus shimmers, and fades out of existence entirely from the moon's surface with a loud, drawn out, warped version of a linking sound:

_ **VVVVRRRRROOOOOOMMMMSSSHHHSSHHHSHHSSSHHHOOOOOMM.....** _

Reality cares not for the transmission of sound through space, given that the effect is not actually sound at all, but subspace being warped on a metatextual level.

"Well," Freeman says, "I'm glad we got out of THAT one in one piece. That could have been nasty to get caught in. No telling WHERE it wound up."

"Agreed on that," you agree.

* * *

Ah, but now you're truly digressing from the actual historical matter of the scene.

You remember it in fairly excruciating detail now.

Your phone rang.

You answered it, and found it was Sam Carter-O'neill, asking to find out if there was a good time for you two to talk.

...Whoops. You'd definitely slept in for too long if word had already gotten to her about what was going to happen before you talked to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RE: Leadership: SO. YEAH. In the end I decided to settle on it being Samantha Carter taking over Atlantis as happened in canon SG-Atlantis, but with a twist! This time they wanted Jolinar, not just Sam. Thus, things are a bit different. 
> 
> Alternate Daedalus: Okay, so I borrowed this concept from a bit further in the SG:Atlantis series canon, just a smidge! Those Daedalus ships just... randomly seem to teleport around, don't they? It's almost like a universal constant or something. 
> 
> D'ni!Ruby: Behold, an alternate timeline without the Alternia side of things meshed into events, and instead the canonical cast of the RWBY series crossed over instead! And it sounds like they crossed paths with a dimension a bit more influenced by The Elder Scrolls than ours have been, what with that Hircine namedrop. Things went wildly differently in those timelines, it sounds like.
> 
> \---
> 
> Pesterquest. Jade Route. PLAY IT.
> 
> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. ALL THE FEELS. OMFG.
> 
> That is all there is to say on the matter.


	5. MINISODE: FLASHBACK: On the Surface of it...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback. Waver and Yeesha talk.  
Some Endgame Spoilers for Myst 4: Revelation contained within.

Seventeen year old Waver Velvet saw a girl leaning against the railing of the balcony overlooking Releeshan's vast landscape. Green fields and hills, vibrant white stone buildings, blue rivers carving through bits and pieces of both....

The girl was familiar and yet not. He was certain he knew who she was, but the red hair was throwing him off.

It was the body language, mostly, and the fact that, well, this tended to be the place he saw her the most.

And so he approached from the side, and similarly leaned against the railing.

A glance out the corner of his eyes confirmed that yes, this was indeed the girl he knew.

Or, at the very least, a very convincing doppelganger, save for eye and hair color.

But, he was confident in his recognition of her enough to say, "So... That time of year again, is it?"

Sixteen year old Yeesha, daughter of Atrus and Katran, glanced at him with her weirdly blue eyes. 

"Hey, Waver. And yeah. It is," she greeted.

The sixth anniversary of her brother's real deaths.

Not that nonsense from twenty years earlier where their father pretended he killed them by burning a couple of Linking Books. 

Six years ago, Yeesha's older brother Sirrus tried to swap minds with her so he could pretend to be her. If not for the courageous actions of Yeesha's longstanding babysitter and the heroic sacrifice of her other older brother Achenar. 

It still weighed on her deeply, Waver knew that much. 

They stood in silence for a few minutes, peering out over Releeshan. 

Then, he had to ask. "So... Did you do something different with your hair?"

"...Yeah," Yeesha answered. "Don't tell anyone but I... wrote a thing into one of those test bed ages Dad has me practicing with. A mirror inside of a closet that... uh... Well. It let me change my hair and eye color, among other things that it could do. I've been wanting to see how long it took most people to notice."

"...You wrote it into an age?" Waver asked, shocked.

"Yeah... Mom and Dad haven't even noticed what I changed yet," she answered. "Then again, this time of year, it's hard to get them to notice anything either."

"I'd imagine so," Waver agreed. "...Are you going to show it to anybody?"

"...I don't know yet," Yeesha answered, shifting her weight slightly- the rather unnecessary belt around her waist tilted a bit forwards with the weight of something clipped to the right side of it sliding towards the front of her waist.

Waver's attention was drawn to it for the simple reason of the small metal clang that resounded as a metal tipped corner pinged against the metal railing. It was a journal, brown leather bound and marked with a mandala containing Yeesha's name in it, with corners edged in silver metal. It seemed weird that she had taken to carrying it like that- around her waist on a belt- but who was he to judge when he carried a smaller journal in his pockets on most days? 

"Well," Waver said, "if you ever do show it off, I'd like to be the first, so I can record how it works."

Yeesha gave him a faint, teasing smile. "Is that what Archivists train you guys to do? Recording data on a girl's private closet, huh?"

"Hey, you know I mean it in a purely academic way," Waver mock protested.

"Sure you do!" she rolled her eyes.

"Infact, I'll start off with an easy question right now!" Waver pulled forth a pocket journal and a small pencil. "Is there anything this magic mirror of yours can't do?"

She considered it for several long moments, then Yeesha replied, "Yeah. Its changes are only surface level. You can't do anything to the insides. Believe me, I checked. It doesn't work. Could make my skin turn a green as grass, though, and my hair, well. It wasn't always red. But, I couldn't magically turn myself into a monkey, or a bird, or a bat... or even a cat, for that matter."

"I see," Waver considered the implications of such a statement, and scribbled into his journal 'Cosmetic Changes Only.' "What exactly brought on this idea for you, then? Why write it into an age?"

Yeesha considered it for several long moments. "I didn't. I wanted a mirror that could take me to a world where my Brother was still alive. It didn't work."

Waver wisely did not write down anything related to such a statement, and similarly, kept the thoughts deep within his mind for almost a decade of decades to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Careful, Yeesha, talk like that could wind up with you accidentally linking to somewhere necromancy is a thing... or worse, where Necromancy is attempted and it always fails horribly. Like the Full Metal Alchemist world-lines for example. You don't want to wind up THERE when attempting to bring someone back to life. I hear it costs you an arm and a leg!! 
> 
> Meanwhile, this whole chapter was an excuse to poke fun at URU's character creation "wardrobe/closet age."


	6. SGA:04X03: Reunions Aside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Power changes everything.

**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 22ND, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 05/01/0006.**

Your name is Boldir Lamati, and you glance up from washing a frying pan as Ronon Dex enters the cafeteria. There's a thought in his mind directing your attention towards him- if only because that thought is "I need to speak to the Alternian Mind Reader."

"Hello, Ronon," you greet as he approaches the kitchen area. "What can I do for you?"

"How much of a personal connection do you need from a person to an item to get a reading on the person's past?" Ronon asks. His thoughts are much more coherent than his words, though.

"...Pardon?" You ask. "Are you asking me if I can look into the past by way of handling a stolen personal item and reading its psychic residue?"

"I ran into some old friends offworld today," Ronon explains, without answering your question. "Satedans. Good friends of mine. People I knew. But... something about their stories don't add up. They think it's been years longer than it has been and they mentioned something about a planet I visited as a runner. Talked about how they heard it from a survivor in the village who escaped through the Gate. Except, I know that's impossible because I saw the Wraith guarding the Stargate before that event happened, and they only left when the village was destroyed. So either I missed something or..." He doesn't finish the thought out loud.

'Or they heard about it through a Wraith.'

Instead, he says. "They have a mission to raid a Wraith facility. They have more intel on it, but they don't want to share it unless they can get use of a Jumper. It's too far to walk on foot, and I'd believe them, but... But... I don't know. Something feels off. They won't tell me more than that"

You consult your powers. What would count as an object that could work to such a readable degree? Your power doesn't work that way.

No, that's a stupid question.

"Ronon, why don't I just come with you and your team in place of Mckay to listen in while they explain their plan and I can gauge their honesty instead?" 

Now that. That's a smart question.

Ronon considers it... Then he nods.

"I'll talk with, uh..." He can't recall which title he's supposed to use, because he's still not sure which one of the two is actually supposed to be leading Atlantis now, given how recent of a change it is.

"Miss Jolinar," you chuckle, filling in the blank for him. "And don't worry about talking to her. I'll do that. You tell John that I'll be coming with you."  
Ronon nods. "Thanks."

"Thank me later," you say.

* * *

[ **o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg)

* * *

Your name is JOLINAR, now DIRECTOR OF ATLANTIS, and... You weren't expecting AR-1's meet and greet with Ronon's long lost friends to reveal two disturbing facts.

One, Ronon's friends were only half lying when they said they escaped the Wraith and were hunting them down. Oh, sure they were hunting Wraith, but at the commands of ANOTHER WRAITH. They were Wraith Worshippers.

Two, Ronon's friends were telling the entire truth when it came to the layout of the facility where the Wraith were studying a LIVE REPLICATOR trying to figure out how to shut the bastards down. That they were intimately familiar with that facility, and that it was a trap meant to recruit an Atlantis Scientist to help them 'fix the problem' aside, you had a proper layout of the entire facility stolen from their minds complete with actual security patterns.

Boldir wasn't happy to report it, Ronon wasn't happy to hear it, and you?

Well.

_[I don't know, Sam,]_ you mull it over._ [On the one hand, if we don't play along, we're risking the Wraith end the Replicator-Wraith War on their terms. On the other, if we DO play along, we're walking into a trap.]_

_'It's quite the conundrum, that's for sure...'_ Sam answers, and you both recline in the very comfy chair Mikari left in her office for you, and you stare up at the ceiling.

What to do, what to do?

The whole Atlantis Charter Council decided they wanted you and Sam here for your experiences with Ancient Tech and the Replicators of before. But... Seriously? This is barely anything to do with the Replicators.

Barely.

Why couldn't Mikari have kept running Atlantis for? 

Your musings are interrupted from a knock at the door, and Argo looks to you for confirmation.

Lord Waver El Melloi the Second and his assistant, Gray, stand outside your office.

"Let them in," you say.

Argo opens the door, and in walks the D'ni Lord, sans his usual D'ni robes. Instead, much like everyone else on Atlantis, he's wearing the newest version of the base uniform. Someone from the new Alfheim members of the expedition had requested more Leather in their clothing because it was apparently better at Magic generation and retention. 

Personally, you think it's darkened the presence of everyone on base just a bit too much. 

Regardless, Gray is wearing a large grey cloak over her own Atlantis Uniform. Apparently she refuses to take it off unless absolutely necessary. You're not going to push the point.

"Miss Jolinar, Doctor Carter," Waver nods to you, then, to Argo, nods with a, "Assistant Lalonde."

**"What can we do for you, Lord El Melloi?"** You ask.

"I heard about what happened with Ronon Dex's friends," Waver explains, "I would like to request that you proceed with a sting operation to destroy the facility, with Gray taking the open slot of the presently elsewhere Doctor Mckay."

_'Well that was unexpected,'_ Sam muses. 

_[Indeed it was.]_

**"I can honestly say that wasn't where I was expecting this conversation to go,"** you say. **"May I ask why?"**

"Gray... has abilities," Waver states. "Gained from the Zillyum burst. She was on Earth when it happened, visiting the Cavern. Observing."

_'Interesting,'_ Sam muses._ 'What powers?'_

**"What powers did she achieve?"** You ask.

"The full scope of that power... is something best kept quiet for the moment," Waver states. "However, I feel safe stating that her ability to serve as Translator for a Bahro comes from her end of the equation, and not from the other end, as with Reines."

_[Who?]_

_'Girl who was from Aincrad D'ni translating at the Corinth Conference.'_

_[Oh, right, thanks.]_

_'No problem.'_

"Right," you say, pretending you know who that is. "So... psychic abilities, then?"

"Yes. Gray, show them," Waver glances at his assistant, and she locks eyes with you-

** _{Hello.}_ **

_[Oh. What?]_

_'Well, that's different!'_

_ **{I apologize in advance for any discomfort.}** _

And then, you are shown a few images of just what exactly the rest of this girl's abilities can do.

And_** Oh.**_

You can see why Waver wants her on this mission.

**_'Holy shit,'_** Sam exclaims.

"From the look on your face, I can assume you now see why I would prefer Grey present in case of last case emergency," Waver says, and in that moment, looking every inch the part of a D'ni Lord despite his current uniform.

**"I can,"** you say, scarcely believing it yourself. **"This is more than just a Zillyum given power though, isn't it?"** You ask. 

Lord El Melloi the Second smiles. "Of course it isn't."

** _{It is, yes.}_ **

You look the girl in her almost teal hued eyes, framed by grey hair and a grey hood.

**"I'll tell Colonel Sheppard, then,"** you say, swallowing. 

_[Fuck. It's no wonder they brought her here. If the IOA knew-]_

_'They'd stop at nothing to get their hands on her,'_ Sam agrees.

Damn it. Who the fuck decided it was a good idea to deliver a Tyke Bomb of THAT Magnitude into your service without warning you first??

* * *

You are now Major Lorne, and you're... playing... guard duty for the D'ni girl from another dimension.

You say 'playing' with such obvious disrespect, because for the last week or so, Ruby Branwen has spent her time cooped up in either her room or the "City Library"- one that's slowly cropped up over the many months and years as people bring in bookshelves or massive collections of personal books to dump somewhere safe, but hasn't been made official yet- diving deep into the history of this particular branch of the multiverse.

Considering she has a whole extra galaxy's worth of information to take in that she didn't in her own reality, you thought it might take a while longer than this.  
Instead?

Well.

The girl's a speed reader, that's for sure. 

You literally watched her finish all of War and Peace in a matter of two days. 

It's not going to take nearly as long as you thought it would.

Still. Guard Duty. You're mostly just sitting by, half-mindedly reading some Alternian Trashy Romance Novel while your charge scours through Volume 10 of "A Complete, unabridged, And definitely <strike>~~not~~</strike> Biased to the Empresses Favor at all, ("Water you even asking here, guppy?") History of the Alternian Empire."

The "not" had been scratched out on every single copy brought to Atlantis and a post it note taped to each cover to clarify, reading, "Yeah, HIC had a thing for historical revisionism, so take all of this with a grain of salt."

Still, you're keeping an eye on the girl from another dimension, as well as for any trouble that may head her way, and it's that eye for attention that spots this Dimensional Cluster's D'ni Lord El Melloi the Second wandering into the room, and making his way towards the two of you.

"Sir," You stand.

"At ease, Major," Lord El Melloi the Second says, then turns towards the D'ni girl. "Lieutenant Branwen, I presume?"

"Juuuust a second!" The girl raises a hand and a single index finger. "And there," She slots in a book mark, then stands to attention, saluting. "First Lieutenant Ruby Branwen, reporting for duty. What can I do for you, Lord El Melloi?"

"I'd like to take a walk and talk, covering the design of the artifact that brought you to our doorstep," Lord El Melloi the Second says. "Preferably, so that we may prevent such a similar artifact from being designed in our timeline."

"I-" The girl falters. "Of course. We can do that. No problem!"

The D'ni Lord looks to you, and says, "You may wait here if you wish, Major Lorne. But do know I will hold anything you hear during our conversation to secrecy if you decide to follow us."

"Yeah, I'm under orders to keep Lieutenant Branwen here under supervision," you say. "I'm not leaving her alone."

"I'm not a kid, you know," the Lieutenant crosses her arms, and pouts, looking very much like the kid her younger facial features portray her as. Man, D'ni age slowly. 

"I know, but that's Doctor Carter's orders," you say. "I'm just following them."

The rest of the conversation that follows, as you leave the library behind, is classified, and you're not dumb enough to repeat them to anyone except command. 

* * *

Your name is Daraya Jonjet, and as you put on your first pair of new glasses- the sudden feedback seems so insane.

You can literally see strokes of paint in the walls across from you. It's just so sharp!! And the floor! Holy SHIT! Did the floor always have that marbled texture to it? 

"Ah, I know that look," Doctor Fraiser appraises. "The 'Suddenly I can see better than I did before I needed glasses' look."

"Is that normal?" You ask, blinking in surprise as you take in the Doctor's face- and more specifically, her eyes. Holy SHIT. Did eyes always have that sort of just- super weird texture on the colored part!?

"It is. It'll take your brain a little while to learn to filter out all the extra detail you're seeing and let you focus on what you want to focus on instead of every tiny detail you're picking up on," Doctor Fraiser says. "Back on Earth, we'd have people with new glasses able to pick out all the tiny blades of grass in their yard in shocking clarity. You might have noticed something similar with your wolf ears when you gained them if you'd been in Atlantis at the time."

"Really?" you ask, surprised. "What'd be similar with my ears?"

"You know how in the Cafeteria when it's busy you hear all the chatter as a sort of indistinct mumble unless you're focusing on it?" She asks, you nod. "Well, imagine being able to pick out every piece of conversation without focusing on it. One of Carsons old reports said he saw some people who were gaining wolf ears suddenly having to deal with that for a few hours before most of their brains learned to adjust."

"Most?" You ask, frowning.

"Have you seen Atlyor Berhet from Anicient Translations?" 

"The... Teal Blood Wolf who goes around wearing headphones over her ears in the Cafeteria?" You ask.

"Through Magic or whatever, she kept her enhanced hearing and found herself good at Multi-tasking and understanding all of those various conversations," Doctor Fraiser explains. "Daniel told me he has her working as a note taker during their division meetings to ensure everything gets written down right."

"And the headphones are her way of muting her hearing when she doesn't want to use that superpower then?" You ask.

Doctor Fraiser nods. "Exactly that. Also, apparently, she's found that she has perfect pitch now and can pick apart a musical tune and play it perfectly from just one listen. Last I heard she's taken up planning to start a Music Club here on Atlantis for other music enthusiasts."

"Holy shit, that's so over powered if she ever went professional," you realize. 

"We live in such a strange world, Daraya, you don't even know the half of it," Doctor Fraiser smiles. "Now. If you have any problems, come find me right away. Otherwise, let's wait and see how these lenses work."

"Thank you," you nod in acceptance of that.

* * *

You are Ronon Dex, and Needless to say, your 'friends' decided to reveal themselves as Wraith Worshipers the minute Sheppard refused to split up to find the "Replicator Research Room."

The fight was quick, brutal, and you just felt sad that they thought you'd WANT to join them in worshiping the Wraith. Your friends were dead long ago, this was just putting down their corpses being puppeted around by the Wraith.

It was just a shame that you didn't get a chance to do it yourself.

They tried kidnapping Gray, assuming she was the scientist of the team, and received an upsetting surprise when she summoned a giant scythe out of golden light. 

It wasn't a Sylladex. You didn't see a card, or hear the subtle warping of space. Psychically projected energy maybe? It was just suddenly there.

And then your "friends" were suddenly not there anymore.

Your team just sort of stared at the girl in surprise, even as Alarms began going off. 

"Well... Jolinar and Sam weren't kidding when they said you were good," Sheppard remarked. "Does that thing have a longer range or-?"

"Yes," Gray answered simply. "It does... I... would prefer to be a long way away from it before I deploy it."

You made your way back to the cloaked Jumper and left... with the back door hanging open.

"Hold it steady," Gray ordered after a certain distance, stood front and center on that open ramp... and then hurled a giant spear of golden light at the Wraith research facility.

The Place was gone in a flash, a crack of thunder, and a rumbling of displaced dirt. There's a flash of heat that briefly floods the inside of the Jumper through the open hatch.

You can't help but stare on at the sheer level of destruction leveled upon the landscape.

Building? What building? You're quite sure there never was nor never will be any building built inside a crater of glassed rock.

"...What do you call that last attack, anyways?" Sheppard asked as Gray stepped into the Jumper, closing the hatch behind her. 

She took her seat where Mckay usually sits, and calmly, quietly replied, "The Spear of the End."

All you have to say... is that is a very appropriate title for such an attack.

* * *

  
You are Daraya Jonjet, and you gaze up at the stars with your newfound perfect vision for as long as it lasts.

"How're the new glasses?" Tyzias asks, settling in on the balcony next to you.

"I can see the stars flickering and blinking," you say, reporting exactly what you see. "It's like someone threw a bag full of tiny diamonds up into the sky, and is shining a flashlight on them with no pattern at all in mind. Random gleaming, blinking, flickering... it's so amazing."

"I'm a little jealous." Tyzias says in a tone of voice that tells you she's more remorseful than jealous. "Wish I could go back to that kind of clarity on a dime. They all seem pretty static to me right now."

"It's got to be fluctuations in the atmosphere, making the light refract weirdly," you say. "But... I can't bring myself to care. I wish I could let you see this."

Tyzias puts an arm around your shoulder, laughing. "Your words are enough for me right now."

"Still," you say, gazing up at the stars. "I never... I never thought I'd get back to seeing clearly at all, let alone this sharply! It's amazing. I'm going to be sad when I get used to it again."

Tyzias hugs you tight, and then kisses you on the cheek.

You break away from the star gazing to kiss her on the lips in turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: As of the next episode, Atlantis has already switched over to the new style uniforms to differentiate them from the borrowed design from Alternia's military uniforms. You guys get a Friendsim sprite edit of Daraya's current look as tomorrows chapter to show it off!
> 
> Fate Verse Gray is the holder of a certain Noble Phantasm Spear. This spear's mystical powers are echoed in this timeline in Gray's powers. I'm not going to spoil by saying anything more than that. I've gotta have some small mystery left in these final acts!


	7. ARTWORK: Daraya Current

**UNIFORM DESIGN NOTES:**

Unlike canon Atlantis that changed uniforms around this time due to some pinching/bagging under the arms, changes this time were made due to two reasons: One: the wide variety of body types that were now finishing manifesting. Gone away with the jackets that nolonger fit because of wings, or pants that had to be crudely modified to now fit tails, the new Atlantis uniforms ended up being standardized with zippers in the places necessary for the given individual. Two: the need to Individualize the Atlantis Expedition from All Other existing Operations and Uniform Styles. Additionally, given later events, this change was expedited due to the expansion of the Expedition's various different co-operating benefactors, and it seemed like the best time to make the change over.

These Outfits had been requested to be designed sometime back around May of 2002, and are now being pushed into use.  
  
The outfits themselves underwent a color scheme redesign as well, although subtly. As the original outfit designs were borrowed from Alternia's military, with the singular change of a solid color being placed to represent branch of the expedition rather than Alternian Blood Color, this color scheme was kept intact, Red for Command/Civilian, Yellow for Medical, Blue for Science, Black for Military. However, the specific hues for red/yellow/blue were shifted away from those resembling Alternian Blood Colors, as there had been some minor confusion among Alternians who were used to the older outfit design using those areas for blood color instead. Additionally, there was an option to submit a special, personalized symbol to be embroidered on each Uniform Jacket ordered for a specific person.

Alternians went ahead and used their existing Signs, and those humans who had Alternian Signs similarly submitted theirs.  
The Humans of earth who did not have Alternian Signs went for more varied symbols, ranging from symbols and iconography from their favorite shows (Civilians and Medical Staff generally), to Scientific or Mathematical Equations (Scientists pretty exclusively. Freeman specifically went with the Lambda symbol in orange for his uniform, as an example). Military usage would mostly default to a symbol representing what specific branch of Earth's Military they hail from, though some would lean towards the favorite show iconography.  
Jaffa typically went with the Stargate Origin Glyph of their Home Planet, although some went with the sign of their former Goa'uld master, crossed out with red.  
Tok'ra in general submitted a stylized symbol, comprised of the glyphs necessary to write out their names.  
Some D'ni members of the Expedition followed the Tok'ra example, using the traditional D'ni Mandala shape of combining the letters of their names into a singular circle. Others went with the Symbol of the D'ni Guild they represented.  
Fae of Alfheim were the most varied, most going with the stylized magic font for their favorite spells, others using the same font for a favored quote.  
The Humans of the Aincrad dimension joining the Expedition tend to wear the name of their original Castle Ship, written in Ancient.  
  
Patches: on the Right Shoulder there is a shaped Velcro spot for the "Atlantis Expedition" patch. On the left shoulder is a spot for a FLAG PATCH.  
For Humans, of Earth showing country of Origin, of Aincrad, showing a flag with a stylized Castle Ship upon it.  
For Alternians, showing a specific Settlement Flag (Daraya, were she wearing it, would have a flag for Diaspora.)  
For D'ni, a flag representing either RELEESHAN or THE GREAT TREE, signifying which Dimension they hail from.  
For the Fae of Alfheim, a flag representing their specific Fae Race FACTION SYMBOL.  
Jaffa universally share the flag of the Free Jaffa Nation.  
Tok'ra wear the sign of their Queen, Egeria.  
  
  
**DARAYA DESIGN NOTES:**

Daraya Jonjet gained lycanthropic traits after the Rift formed, and poured Zillyium into the Universe at large. She gained wolf ears and a tail with a fur color edging on a very dark Jade Green. As such, come the whole "Needing Glasses" thing, she would require prescription GOGGLES rather than prescription glasses.  
  
She's still wearing her bracelets underneath the surprisingly roomy sleeves, and has a spiked collar on still.  
  
Daraya technically is in the Civilian/Command branch of the Atlantis Expedition rather than the Military branch of the expedition. While she does technically have a Rank in the Alternian Military, she instead generally works as a go between for her teammates on AR-2 who are firmly in the Science branch of the Expedition, and when assigned jobs such as choosing an Alpha Site or other such backup locations, she will come at the problem from a Civilian perspective over a Military perspective. Thus, her uniform specific color is Command/Civilian Red. It also happens to balance out her color scheme quite nicely, but that's really just an aside.  
  
Daraya generally rebels slightly against standard dress code by foregoing both patches on her shoulders on just about every occasion. They're supposed to be worn at all times when on duty, save for when traveling off world. The ripping/sticking sound of the Velcro does bug her ears, so she has a valid excuse to not wear them, but when questioned she would say it was a 'sticking it to the IOA' kind of power move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. It's a Friendsim Sprite edit. Still makes me a bit mad that those came out so late in the overall scheme of things. I would have loved to have them for reference when I did most everyone's pictures way back when. That Daraya I drew ages ago just never stuck right with me, in the facial area, and what I imagined was definitely much closer to what we got with Friendsim. I oughta go back and redraw everything at some point for better facial accuracy in the cases I'm not happy with it, but.... Meh. 
> 
> Too much effort there.
> 
> ANYWAYS. Enjoy the mini lore dump about uniform design choices that'll never get mentioned in story!


	8. SGA:04X04: Just Your Average Halloween.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is Halloween. (Hey, vaguely actually sort of on time this month! LOL)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: A bad mother abandons a kid this chapter... and said kid has a panic attack.

**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 29TH, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 05/08/0006.**

The MINUTE AR-1 returned from offworld, every Rust Blooded Alternian Psychic on the Expedition team roster became alert as they sensed the presence of a malevolent spirit within the the City.

Unsurprisingly, it was Aradia Megido who intercepted AR-1 in the route to the infirmary, because John Sheppard had touched some alien crystal that zapped him, and, without anyone saying a word- mostly because there wasn't a chance to say a word- Aradia took a hefty handful of Farie Wing Dust and Splashed it in Sheppard's face while discretely exorcising what seemed to be a malevolent spirit but was infact an alient lifeform into oblivion.

"Wh- Aradia?" John sputtered, but Aradia just smiled in turn.

"Trick or Treat!" She said by way of explaining what just happened.

"Halloween isn't for another two days," John told her.

"I stand by my words!" Aradia said, and then flitted off in the direction of the nearest transporter.

It was with a woosh of teleport that Aradia then made her way to the Admin office off of the Control Room, and dutifully informed Jolinar and Samantha Carter of the Malevolent spirit she had just exorcised out of John Sheppard.

And thus, it was with little fanfare that the new director of Atlantis quietly ordered that planet's Gate Address locked out of the dialing computer.

* * *

**o< --- [STARGATE: ATLANTIS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg) \--- >o**

* * *

**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 30TH, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 05/09/0006.**

A spade punctured the orange rhind of the Pumpkin.

"Pumpkin Pie? Really? How American can you go, Miss I Lived over a Paris Bakery?" Shirou Emiya complained.

"I could ask you the same thing, Mister Turkey for Halloween!!" Marinette Dupain-Chenk countered.

Despite to what Atlantis' human population might have thought about the usual bickering of two of the city's regular chefs, there was a decided change in tension between the two that was picked up immediately by the Alternian crowd.

After all, Shirou was wearing a large green and orange sweater that looked suspiciously hand knit with text on its front that read "Guess the temperature?" And on its back read "CRISP. IT'S FALL." And Marinette, well...

She had an obscenely large stack of orange gourds and a metaphorical very pitch black colored spade in her eyes to match the very literal silver carving spade in her hand.

Also, she was wearing patterned socks with black spades on them that were also very hand knit looking.

They were doing the pitched human equivalent of the Alternian Kismesisitude variance of of the human Matesprit "Hahah I love the Fall! MAKE A FIRE AND SNUGGLE ME!" show of affection.

It was a glorified mess of cultural mishaps, but god, if the Alternian members of the expedition weren't living for the show.

Boldir Lamati would side-eye anyone who passed by in the food line with a look of, "Ain't they cute?" and a side order of "What do you want to eat?"

She actually asked that last part, because she was serving as order-taker for the food line that day.

"So, what do you think?" Your name is Tagora Gorjek, and you ask with utmost seriousness. "Are they pailing, or are they just flirting around it still?"

"Hrm," one of your four conversational partners for this fine day's breakfast, Galekh Xigisi, considered it. Then, he answered, "Flirting still. Humans don't tend to jump into Pailing right off the bat. I'd give them another month."

"Noooo! No way!" Rhubee Xaolon countered. "They're definitely pailing! Just look at how she's angling her hips at him! And that BLINK! It's flustering him so much!! They're doing it, I'm telling yoooou!!"

"Nah, see," Kohiru Karren says. "Marinette wants to pail him, but Shirou's holding onto some, ah, how do you put it. Moral Obligations to not Fuck outside of Human Marriage left over from Earth?"

_"LAAAAME!"_ Rhubee exclaimed.

"I'm inclined to agree," Galekh states. "It's quite clear to me that they're just flirting with the idea of pailing."

"You're all wrong, but Rhubee is least wrong!" Aradia Megido states. "She's just got it backwards."

_"Whaaaaaaaaaaat!?"_

"It's true!" Aradia nodded vigorously.

"Well, Tagora?" Karren looks to you. "You asked. What do you think?"

"I think..." You mull it over, looking between the two chefs now arguing about... Oh. Heh. "I think they're 'arguing' about the proper ways to baste a turkey in the most sexually charged way they can manage while still being appropriate for a work setting. They're pailing."

"YES!" Rhubee punches a fist into the air, while Aradia and Galekh groan in dismay.

Karren shrugs, sips at her coffee, then remarks, "Well, that settles that then. Anyone want to take bets how long it takes before they start making it obvious for the non Alternian side of the Expedition?"

* * *

Your name is JUNE EGBERT, and you gaze at the halloween costume in the closet that you were planning on wearing before... well... the wedding, at least.

Jade had talked you all into doing a themed costume this year- You, her, Rose, Nepp, Nepeta, and Equius would get together and dress up as Power Rangers! Mom had already bought all the costumes. This year's series was... Wild Force? With the animal zords and what not.

Before the wedding Mom had had you all do a test fitting to make sure everything fit right, and it had, even if putting in some holes in the back of the "Yellow Eagle Ranger" suit had been necessary for Nepp's costume. But, there in lies the problem.

Gender-not-matching-the-suits was nothing important, considering that Rose and Jade had long ahead of time bucked the trend and decided to respectively go as the "Red Lion Ranger" and the "Silver Lunar Wolf Ranger," but what was important was the very critical fact that you hadn't thought of until just now.

You'd lost a little height and your shoulders had narrowed somewhat. Considering other changes you might not even be thinking off...

It all begged the question- was the Blue Shark Ranger costume you already had even going to fit you tomorrow night?

"June?" Rose asked after you no doubt spaced out for a good solid minute. "Everything alright?"

"I'm not sure my costume's going to fit me," you answer.

Rose considers that, glancing at the blue costume hanging from its hanger, then over to you, then she nods. "I'll go get Mom's... I'll go get Mom."

And thus your sister goes to get your Mom, rather than go sneak away her sewing kit.

It takes some work, but you get your costume fitted properly again.

* * *

You are now Joey Claire, and you son't even need to look up from your book as Mierfa enters the hive from the front door- one of your Arai beetles sits at the door, serving as a remote camera, seeing her enter, large shopping bags in hand.

"I'm back," Mierfa announces, slugging her way into the kitchen.

"Welcome back!" you greet. "Need any help?"

"Nah! I'm good!"

You watch her set bags on the counter and start sorting things out with a smile on her lips and a melody humming in her throat.

Your real eyes skim over the same sentence about twenty times before you put the book away and move to watch her in person rather than through an Arai beetle.

"You're in a good mood," you say.

"'Course I am," Mierfa smiles. "I was just talking with Wanshi down in the caverns, and she agrees that Toko's starting to show signs she's going to spin a cocoon soon."

"Already?" You ask. "Seriously? I honestly thought it was going to be a while longer."

"Well, Wanshi says that custom Grubs tend to pupate faster than large batch Grubs tend to," Mierfa explains, fetching some bottles of juice and milk.

"Huh. Weird. I didn't know that," you say.

"It's a thing they're only just starting to notice, given, well, custom grub batches haven't really been a thing for most of Alternia's history?" Mierfa shrugs, and puts a bottle of milk in the fridge, followed by the juice bottles. "So... Yeah. New territory we're discovering every day."

"Mmh." You nod. "That it is."

You move to sort a bag of bread products into the proper places, and together you work in silence.

"Did you ever think we'd get to here?" Mierfa asks, suddenly. "Way back when we had to evacuate all those hatching grubs through the Stargate?"

"Hell no," you laugh in answer. "I don't think being parents was anywhere near the back of my mind, let alone front. Or, heck, that Diaspora'd become such a big town over time either."

"Funny how it all works out, huh?" Mierfa asks, smiling.

"Yeah, it's pretty funny, all things considered," you agree. "Now if we can just make sure that we've left things in a better state than we found it in for the next generation? That'd be perfect."

* * *

"Well this is liable to be a disaster," your name is Rodney Mckay, and you swallow in terror at the scene that just got set.

The Aschen called long distance, and Mikari answered the line before anyone else in the conference room could and-

And Mikari fucking just pretended to be one of those old automated payphone voice operators and chirped at them in a tone almost like a beeping before saying, in the most robotic tone imaginable, "We're sorry, but the number you have dialed is either unavailable or incorrect. Please make sure you have the right number and try again in thirty-eight minutes. Thank you." And then she hung up on them.

And so everyone went silent in the aftermath, until you said what you just said at the top of this snipit.

"Please," Mikari rolled her eyes. "If anything they're going to be completely confused for a good half hour before they try calling again. Now, where were we before we were interrupted?"

"Uhh... Time to complete the new Corinth style rift generator?" You ask, trying to remember.

"Right," Commander Yuki states. "Doctor K reported that she's almost finished buidling a replica device. We should have it ready to put into position any day now, and be ready to activate it within minutes of doing so."

"Good. What about the transfer of the shoulder skin to Alfheim?" Mikari asks.

"We've arranged for Quantum Mirror transport directly to Alfheim on the day of rift detonation," Commander Yuki continues. "It will be done on schedule."

"Just so long as the Aschen don't come knocking, guns blazing, because of a hung up call," you gripe.

* * *

**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 31ST, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 05/10/0006.**

"Okay, everyone! Smile and say CHEESE!!" Roxy Egbert called out.

"CHEESE!" Six masked children dressed as the Wild Force Power Rangers called out.

_ **BEEP! FLASH! KACHICK! ** _

_ **BEEP! FLASH! KACHICK! ** _

_ **BEEP! FLASH! KACHICK! ** _

"And without the helmet masks on!" Roxy decided.

Your name is Okurii Leijon and you smile as the kids take off their masks.

Rose Egbert takes off her red lion mask and makes to hold it like it's a real helmet for the photo. How cute. Nepp takes off her yellow eagle mask by way of sliding it up ontop of her head and grinning. Jade nudges her silver wolf ranger mask off to her left side. Your Nepeta does the same, except to the right side, with her "Pink" tiger mask- which is really more white than pink on the show but she insisted on modifications to put more pink on the costume. Equius stands stock still so Nepeta can remove his black bison mask entirely.

Hesitantly, the last one to demask is June Egbert.

Not for the first time since the whole incident on Atlantis happened, you can't help but observe how similar she looks now to Rose. They'd almost pass as twins save for hair and eye color.

June squints, and then readjusts her glasses, which seem to have been dislodged with the mask removal.

June holds her mask loosely in hand by the elsatic as she puts on a smile and strikes a pose with the rest of the kids.

"Smile and say CHEESE!"

"CHEESE!!"

** _BEEP! FLASH! KACHICK! _ **

** _BEEP! FLASH! KACHICK! _ **

** _BEEP! FLASH! KACHICK! _ **

Three more pictures taken, and Roxy smiles at the lot of them. "Alright! Now then, Rangers! Your power mission tonight is to fetch as much power candy as you can from everyone in town! I'll fold down the power fort for your powerful return!!"

"Mom, that's way too much overuse of the word 'power,'" Rose remarks.

"So? I'm the Power Mentor tonight so I can decide how much power is powerful enough!" Roxy fake huffs, a grin on her face. Then, she turns to you and smiles. "Keep an eye on them, Okurii."

"Will do," you smile, partly at the irony of it all.

And thus, as the kids mask up to head out, you spot check your hair and makeup for the evening.

You're dressed up as the Rangers "mentor" for the current season, you're told. Honestly, you just were going to go as yourself, but Nepeta and Equius insisted you be theme accurate.

Honestly, why they didn't just decide to dress up as the Corinth City Rangers instead, you don't know. Real Rangers! And here they go dressing up as the ones from TV.

Eh, you suppose the pure animal theme was easier to work with given Nepp's wings.

Halloween is really such an odd holiday, even by Earth Standards. You dress up in costumes, go door to door, and get candy from strangers.

But, it's a fun one, and a safe one, too. Parents and guardians escort their kids around and you honestly haven't heard of any incidents in recent years. There have been some attempts to migrate it over to Diaspora over the last few years, but nothing's stuck yet. Partly because most of the kids of the age to be enjoying it seem to-

"RANGERS!" Rose calls out, interrupting your train of thought. "READY!?"

"READY!" The rest call out.

Well, you can put those thoughts aside for now.

"Alright, then, Let's get going," you say, and lead the kids out on their route this year.

Konyyl did decide to come along too, but, well, she suddenly got a call from her Matesprit/Moirail (And GOD, they are still living it up confusing everyone over the specific distinction! Just yesterday she called Azdaja her Moirail AND Matesprit interchangably within the same conversation no less than five times a quadrant!) about some case that surfaced suddenly that required both of their skills.

Still, it's not like you expect any trouble tonight that you'd need the backup.

* * *

An hour in, trouble manifests in the form of a kids' terrified screaming and a magic T-rex the size of a minivan appearing out of thin air. It starts lumbering down the street, roaring out in a way that makes it sound like its looking for its mother.

Unsurprisingly, the 'Power Rangers' leap into action to help stop trouble.

You are Nepeta Leijon, and as the others rush in to stop the T-Rex from getting anywhere and hurting anyone- your Momma Okurii included!- your heart tells you to do something else.

And you're not alone, June looks around too, and then nudges your shoulder and points. "There!"

There's a kid dressed in a T-rex costume, rocking back and forth beneath a tree, looking like she's on the really bad catnip and totally out of it. She's whining and keening- the source of the original scream for sure!!

But... If not for the green glow in their eyes, you'd think they were scared of the T-Rex.

You check and see the others are doing a great job of keeping a rampaging magic T-Rex under control with extremely controled uses of their powers. Equius is doing the bulk of the heavy lifting though. Well, rather, the bulk of the holding the Magic Projection T-Rex in place by holding it by the toes. The street beneath his feet seem to be cracking a little from the strain.

You and June head towards the kid- a girl, actually! Dark skin, green hair and eyes, and looking absolutely scared out of her mind.

"Hey, I'm Nepeta," you start by introducing yourself. "What's your name?"

"E..Em..." She hiccups. "Emerald."

"Hi, Emerald!" June starts. "I'm June. Are you okay?"

"N-No," the girl shakes her head, and you see tears in her eyes. "Sc-Scared."

"What's wrong?" You ask.

"L-Lost," Emerald answers. "Du-Dunno where I am. Where's momma? Momma...! MOMMA!!!"

The T-Rex roars- and you swear you hear the cry sounding like a much more roaring "Momma!" for sure that time.

Yep. She's projecting the T-Rex, that's for sure.

"Emerald?" June puts a hand on the girl's shoulder before she can really start to cry out again more. "Sssh. It's okay. We're here. We'll help you find your momma. When did you last see her?"

Emerald sniffs and mumbles what sounds like 'an hour ago.'

....What?!

You must have said it out loud cause Emerald explains- "MOmma- Momma left me somewhere and told me to go have fun and get candy and to meet her back there but I- I can't find where it was. I don't know where I am I don't know where she is!!! MOMMAAAAAA!!!"

"ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAA!" The T-Rex roars again, and you hear Equius yell in surprise as it kicks him away into a tree. He'll be fine- you know he did more damage

to the tree than it did to him- but you gotta fix this now before the others get hurt!!

"Emerald?" You start. "It's okay. We'll help you find her. But you gotta calm down, okay??"

Emerald doesn't look like she's in any state to calm down.

"Look," you take off your mask. "Look at me. I'm right here. What do you see? Tell me what you see??"

"Ca-" Emerald hiccups. "Candy h-horns. Blh-Black Hair..."

"Alright, that's good," you nod. "What else?"

"Sh-Shark," Emerald glances at June. "An... And... "

And then she sees the magic T-Rex for what's probably the first time.

"...Rexy??" She stares, a bit of awe piercing through the panic and anxiety.

The T-Rex seems to stop in its rampage then.

For a moment, it's still... then, Emerald reaches out for it, and the T-Rex turns around and peers at her.

For the first time, you notice it has the same green eyes she does.

Slowly. It walks over, and lowers its head towards Emerald's hand.

Her fingers brush against its snout... The glow fades from her eyes... And then just like that, the projection of the T-Rex suddenly shrinks down into the form of a small T-Rex plushie held inside of a large pumpkin basket.

Emerald grabs the plush and holds it in her arms tight, looking so much more relieved.

"Nice job," June whispers.

"Thanks," you smile.

"What the hell just happened?" Momma Okurii comes over, looking so concerned.

"Emerald got left alone and got lost," you explain. "I think she made her friend grow big by accident."

"Left alone, huh?" And Momma Okurii gets a look in her eyes. You know that look. It's the look she gets when someone messed up at work and she has to go deal with something. Or has to shout over the phone.

It's Momma Okurii's 'I'm going to make things right' look.

* * *

Your name is Jack O'neill, and you frown as you home phone rings.

"Weird," you say aloud, going to answer it. People don't usually call this time of night, let alone on Halloween.

"General O'neill," you pick up the receiver and speak into it.

_"Jack? This is Okurii."_

"Okurii? What're you doing calling me at this hour?" You ask, glancing at your watch. "Shouldn't you be escorting a team of colorfully costumed kids around?"

_"I _**was**_ up until we came across a girl who turned her T-Rex plushie into a giant magic projection during a panic attack,"_ Okurii explains._ "Her Mother oh so helpfully left the girl to go trick or treating on her own, and we need to find her, or atleast get CPS her name."_

"Well, shit, give me a second," you say, grabbing for a pen and some paper. "It's almost like parential neglect isn't silent or hidden anymore when your kid could suddenly gain powers from it." You find what you need. "Tell me the name."

_"That's the problem, we have two,"_ Okurii answers.

"Two?" You ask, shocked.

_"I'm pretty sure 'Cinder Fall' is an alias,"_ Okurii answers. "'Salem Sustrai,' _on the other hand..."_

"I'll run them both," you say. "Keep that kid safe, in the meantime."

_"You know I will."_

* * *

**EARTH DATE: NOVEMBER 1ST, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 05/11/0006.**

Your name is Davis Strider, and you glance at Karkat as you, he, and three SG-tactical teams stand outside of a run down motel a whole fucking state away, somewhere in Wyoming.

"Everyone ready?" You ask.

"Hell yes," Karkat nods.

"Alright then," you nod, prepare the time loops and you send a time clone to go to the motel room door that the bitch is staying in while everyone takes position...

You've read the rap sheet that's a few inches thick. Salem Sustrai, wanted for grand theft auto, driving while under the infulence of alchohol, breaking parole, reckless endangerment of a child, kidnapping a child at a very young age and murdering the girl's parents in cold blood, and breaking into several bank vaults stretching from here all the way back to Maine with the same M.O. of Fire, Fire, Fire, lots of melted metal and charred corpses. It paints a grim picture for sure, especially considering that some of the fire related crimes date back to before Zillyum became a thing that even gave people powers in this dimension.

Woman was a pyromaniac, and worse, a murdering kidnapper who'd recklessly then abandoned the kid she kidnapped for reasons probably related to the girl's powers.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

There's a growl, a shout, and then an angry, pale skinned woman with angry red burns across her face, her brown hair singed black on its ends and eyes as orange as a burning sun opens the motel room door. "I didn't ask for Room-!" She stops, taking in your time clone self's SGC uniform. "...Service..."

"Hi," you/he smiles. "Are you Cinder Fall or Salem Sustrai by any chance?"

You expect her to throw the door clsoed in his face.

Instead, the bitch suddenly ignites a fireball in her hand and hurls it in your face instead.

If not for fast reflexes and time traveling away, future you would be missing your eyebrows at the very least.

_THEN_ she throws the door closed.

"GO GO GO!" You order, at just about the same time as Karkat gripes, "Well, I think that answers THAT question."

When the bitch tries to explode her way out of the bathroom window, she's caught in a shower of fire extinguishing foam, and rapidly gets several high caliber weapons pointed her way.

Needless to say, the amount of slippery 'fun' that was to be had in that much foam was enough to keep the rogue woman grounded long enough to get handcuffed and placed inside of a van whose interior had been designed to keep the woman from escaping with her powers.

"...You know," you say, "that was almost anticlimactic."

"You don't say?" Karkat chuckles.

* * *

**EARTH DATE: NOVEMBER 2ND, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 05/12/0006.**

"So, did you hear about the fun dad and Karkat had in Wyoming yesterday afternoon?" Your name is Argo Lalonde, and you grin as you sit down next to your lovely partners in romance at your usual Cafeteria table for lunch.

"No, what happened?" Jade asks, pausing to raise a spoon full of pumpkin pie to her mouth.

"So, Okurii and the kids ran into a girl who got abandoned on Halloween, right? And the case lead the SGC to a woman who was using her fire generating powers to commit crimes." You grin. "Dad and Karkat went and totally stopped her cold by dousing her in a bunch of fire extinguisher foam!"

"Yeah, I heard about it from Roxy when he came back from visiting yesterday. I just have one question," John starts. "Why the fuck would she abandon the kid after going to all the trouble of kidnapping her in the first place?"

"From her own testimony during interrogation?" You shake your head, sighing. "Apparently, the girl's newfound powers were way too obvious and had already almost gotten her arrested once already."

"I can see that," John shakes his head as well. "Turning plush toys into giant magic constructs is a bit of a give-away."

"That sucks," Jade frowns. "What's happening to the girl now?"

"She's being returned to her biological mother's parents," you say. "But considering she'd been in that bitch's 'care' since she was almost a baby, and she's around the same age as the younger us, it's going to be hard for her to adjust."

"You know," John says, "Earth kinda sucks, doesn't it?"

"Agreed," you nod.

"It really does," Jade sighs, pushing her pie away. "I don't think I'm gonna finish this."

"I'll take it if you don't want it," you say.

"Sure," Jade slides it your way.

"Topic of conversation make it unappetizing?" John asks.

"No, not that," Jade shakes her head. "I just got the sudden craving for meat, that's all."

"Didn't you just eat two steaks in addition to the pie?" John asks.

"I did!!!" Jade whines. "And I'm going back for thirds!!"

And just like that, life moves on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, RWBY references again this chapter. Cinder Fall and Emerald Sustrai are villains from that show. For those of you who haven't seen RWBY... Cinder is... not a nice person, and Emerald is in way over her head. Their Semblances/Powers in RWBY are somewhat replicated here. I.E.: Flame powers and Giant Illusory Creatures... except, given a twist. Cinder's a pyromaniac here who kidnapped Emerald on a long spree of crime in this timeline. And Emerald's projections aren't just *Illusion-ary* in this timeline either. 
> 
> June and Nepeta get some time to shine, and help calm the poor girl down and get her back home to her real family in the long run. 
> 
> Meanwhile, or rather, a bit before it, the whole plot of the episode "Doppelganger" gets derailed by a clever Aradia. I was NOT doing that episode plot for Halloween given where the dates landed. No. Just. No. I'd considered it, but... Nah. Just. Nah. That potential version of events went *far* down the rabbit hole back into Unending Territory and I wasn't wanting to bring *that* back just yet. Too much conceptual stuff too fast and you guys might get sick of it! >_>; I know I was wary on it.
> 
> Anyways,yeah. Power Rangers Wild Force should be the currently ongoing series of Power Rangers at this point of time, so the kids went stock store costumes and went as the whole team! How fun to be chronologically consistent!


	9. SGA:04X05: Mission Report: Travelers

**After Action Report: Atlantis Expedition.**

**EARTH DATE: 09/19/2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 05/29/0006.**

_ **[Speaking: Ayano, Keiko, auto transcribed from voice recorder and formatting Applied Via VoiceReportToDesk-DRC.ORG]** _

I was returning from P5D-153, or "Paradise World" as Doctor Mackenzie called it, from an Atlantis Outpost supply run when my Puddle Jumper was attacked from an unknown ship, disabling my weapons and cloak. I was in contact with Atlantis at the time, preparing to return, and notified Mallek Adalov over Radio of the assault.

My Jumper was disabled, and it was captured, drawn inside a cargo bay, where I was then taken to an interrogation room. A man named Silas interrogated me, and took a blood sample. They asked me questions about how to fly the Jumper, where I got it from, and when I feigned ignorance they lightly punched me to try and convince me otherwise.

I was approached by the leader of the ship, a woman named Larrin, who took me to their cafeteria to explain their situation. Their people are called "TRAVELERS," and their race once long ago fled to the stars to escape the Wraith, but now their people are habitual nomads. They rarely stop to trade on planets for fresh supplies.

However, they did so regularly enough to learn of Atlantis, and of the ATA Gene.

Larrin offered me a "choice," either I help them with a project, or I stay their hostage long enough for them to reverse engineer the ATA Gene Therapy. I chose to 'help' with the Project.

This project would turn out to be an Aurora Class Vessel that had suffered severe damage, and they needed my help to power the ship to make effective repairs. They had already shielded the ship's damaged and radiation leaking hyperdrive, and instructed me to follow their commands to the letter.

** _Cue Malicious Compliance._ **

The first thing after activating the systems they asked me to do was to move the ship forward. I tried to protest that they needed the intertial dampeners online first, but they refused to let me speak on it.

So I just activated forwards thrust and they all got flung backwards. Me, sitting in the pilot's chair, was able to maintain control. I activated the hyperdrive, setting a course for the nearest Spacegate, secured the scientists 'guarding' me, and set the broken subspace communications array to pulse a specific pattern: Morse Code, SOS.

Larrin shut off the shielding to the bridge, or threatened to at the very least, forcing me to drop us out of Hyperspace. I was put in a holding cell briefly, when a Wraith cruiser attacked, forcing me to go to the Weapon's Chair and use to to destroy the Wraith Cruiser.

Unfortunately, the Primary Bridge was destroyed in the fight, killing the people stationed there. The man, Silas, was among them.

With Larrin and I the only ones left onboard, I was forced to take control of the backup/secondary control room, during which time we conversed over the ship's internal communications, and the subject of our other ship restoration projects, the Aurora and Argo, came up. The Travelers needed a working ship to help bolster their dwindling fleet of ships.

The realization that if Larrin had *asked* us for help would have gotten them better results was, however, short lived.

Because we had Wraith onboard.

Whee! Fun! And I don't mean that sarcastically either.

I feel this is the best time to bring up the fact that Larrin's people, the Travelers, use the same style of blaster that Ronon Dex does. Now we know what people he got his from. I managed to secure my own as a parting gift in exchange for helping Larrin take out the Wraith that had managed to get onboard via Darts.

As we dealt with the Wraith, three ships belonging to Larrin's people and the Apollo arrived near simultaneously. With some frankly tense minutes of negotiating between me and Larrin, we came to the agreement that we would... look past the attempted kidnapping- "Desperate times call for desperate measures" as the saying goes- and would lend them aid in repairing their ship, and in exchange, they would give us the blueprints for their Magnum class weapons- specifically, how to create the ammo packs that power their blasters.

It is my hope that given enough time, we can turn this into a proper alliance between our people.

If it comes down to it, we might even be able to get them a chance at settling down on a habitable world for the first time in generations.

_Keiko Ayano

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It hit me while I was writing this chapter... I could have *Done this Format* for so many of the early SG-1 episodes that I skipped over.
> 
> */DOH*
> 
> Tomorrow: INTERMISSION: Jumpstart


	10. INTERMISSION: Jumpstart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Work Continues Elsewhere...

**EARTH DATE: NOVEMBER 9TH, 2002.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 05/19/0006.**

On the Planet Earth in another Dimension... A remote controlled Castle Jumper hovered over the top of the Great Tree that was D'ni's current home.

Down below, circling the tree were large, massive, metal rings connected to the tree with support beams. If someone took the time to count, they'd see that there were atleast 50 already made, with framework for more floors soon to be put into place.

Looking from above, if one used their imagination, they would see that the framework for a gigantic castle ship was in place, using the Great Tree as a backbone and spine.

Your name is Rodney Mckay, and you stare at it all through the Jumper's live feed with no small sense of awe and horror.

Jade wasn't kidding when it came to the sheer numbers in scale of how big this project is.

"Alright," you begin, tapping buttons. "Rift Generator is powering on. Beginning to build charge."

"This is so exciting," Shiori Ayano-Kirigaya grinned. "We're about to actually punch a controlled hole in space-time to another dimension!"

"Yes, well, let's just hope this doesn't back fire on us too badly," you say. "Generator is at 25% charge and climbing."

"And not only that!" Shiori continues on. "We're going to use all that magic to transform everything into a flying Castle Ship! This is so exciting!"

You choose to say nothing as you watch the energy levels build... build... build...

"50%. 65%..." You report, checking for time. "75%... beginning detontation count down at.... 85%." You flick the switch. "Beginning detonation in three-" 90%. "Two." 95%. "One Hundred Percent," You report, "ENGAGING RIFT!"

The camera view from the Castle Jumper cuts away into static as a blinding burst of blue light surges in from the heavens above- flooding through the windows into the control room and...

And then it fades.

There's a pause, as everyone blinks to adjust their eyesight back.

And then you check sensors. "A Stable Rift has been opened above the Great Tree at the estimated safe distance altitude. Alfheim Actual, this is Aincrad Actual, please report?"

A pause.

_"We read you Aincrad Actual, this is Alfheim Actual. Rift has successfully been opened at altitude over Yggdrasil City."_

You exhale in relief. "Awesome news. Glad to hear it." You check on the sensors... "And we have a steady flow of Zillyum into this dimension. Job well done, evyone."

* * *

**EARTH DATE: NOVEMBER 30TH, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 06/09/0006.**

Your name is Mikari Aiikho, and you smile at the fond and familiar appearances of the Atlantis style city hallways as you walk through them.

"Alchemic Reconstitution of the first twenty five floors has been completed, and framwork construction on Floors 26-to-50 has finished. Alchemnic Construction for the remainder of those floors is on schedule with the current boost of Magic from Alfheim, and once the structural reinforcements for Floor 50 are finally completed we will begin the work of starting the final framework components for the next twenty five floors immediately," Commander Asuna Yuki elaborates as you and she walk through to what would be the Stargate Control Tower on Atlantis. "In addition we're about 90% done with the fourth pier of and the crews from the third pier are moving onto the fifth to continue the pace there."

Six piers outside the edges of the New Castle Ship in total- each one home to an entire copy of Atlantis' Cityscape, detachable in case of emergency. You are currently in the "North Pier," or Pier 1.

"How long until the team on Pier Four can move onto finish Pier Six?" you ask.

"Hrm," Commander Yuki checks her work. "Given prior experience with the previous piers... I'd estimate about another day, max, half a day, minimum."

"Good, once we've gotten Pier Five finished, I want that team going to assist with the work on the upper floors." You decide. "How's settlement of the first 25 floors going?"

"Amazingly well," Commander Yuki says. "Most of the various 1-to-25-floor populations have integrated well, and with Alfheim's residents moving in at the estimated pace, we're still going to be under capacity, which is good considering most of those floors are transplanted farm land from the other Castle Ships."

"What about resource collection from the planet?" You ask.

"On schedule for a February Launch date, Mckay's reports coincide with our estimates that the mass reduction is following at the rate we've been expecting."

"Good. What about power generation? How are we dealing with that?"

"Each floor's taking up a whole Castle Ship's worth of ZPM power, unsurprisingly, but given that we've been able to harvest the naturally growing crystal farms from Alfheim and successfully have transplanted several onto Floor 15 already, we shouldn't run into trouble with power until after we initiate the jump out of this dimension, if at all."

"Alright," you say as you both arrive at the "Gate Room." At one point it was planned to become a Linking Book Room Hub to the other five piers as well as to the various floors once the 'Unwritten' is completed, but it was quickly realized that was a god awful amount of books to write, and so a simpler method was devised.

D'ni technicians and various Link-Weavers are already hard at work constructing a device that would look like a Milky Way/Alternia Galaxy Stargate, except pearl orange metals for the main frame, and a slate white inner ring of solid stone that rotates around within the metal track. The Chevrons, naturally, glow Pegasus Blue.   
Really, this is the most obvious concession to be made. Linking Transport Gates in the shape of Stargates.

Given the standard "six symbols plus point of origin" load out for the Stargates, and a whopping 36 Unique Glyphs- stylized from the D'ni Alphabet plus one unique point of origin glyph per gate- and you've got enough unique coordinate sets for not only every single floor and Pier on the Unwritten, but you'll have so many spare coordinate possibilities left over that just about every floor will have a Gate for every town in it, with plenty left over for points of interest.

Initial tests of the concept show that the only disappointment is that they can't make a fancy exploding vortex of not-water for each connection. Instead, it just shimmers a visible window of space time that serve as 3D Linking Panels. They're not even wormholes or portals. Just... Fancy visual artifacts cloaking a linking point within the center of the Gateway.

Really, it just makes sense to do things this way.

You peer at the oddly colored Stargate, and exhale. "Alright. What about the Aschen?"

"They've remained radio silent ever since you hung up on them," Commander Yuki explains. "We suspect they're preparing for something big."

"Aren't they always?" You frown. "It's been almost a month, and we've only just finished the largest floors. It's shrinking in diameter as we go up, but..."

"You're worried we won't make it in time?" Commander Yuki asks.

"Yeah," you say. "I'm worried. Enemies that go radio silent usually don't do it without a good reason."

You consider it all.

Then, you ask, "What can we do to speed things along?"

Commander Yuki considers it, then, in a tone she clearly considers joking, states, "We could trap Earth and Alfheim inside of time dilation bubbles and build things faster?"

You consider the possibility of that. It's possible. You know it's been done...

After all, John, Jade, Argo, Jude, and Cassie did exactly that thing with the giant reflector dish to save Abydos.

"I need to get in contact with the team studying the Abydos Pyramid Time Device," you say.

"...The what now?" Commander Yuki asked. "Wait. You don't mean that I actually said something exists that I didn't actually think existed, right???"

"Remind me to tell you about the Laser Beam Return to Sender that happened on Abydos a few years back," You just give her a coy smile. "Time Travel is always an option, Commander Yuki. You just have to know when to use it properly. And at any rate, I want it as an option in case the Aschen attack us before we're finished here."

"...Alright, fair enough," She agrees. "It's not like it'd actually save us any time in constructing everything anyways. Just from the outside perspective it'd seem like we'd finish it in the blink of an eye."

"Yeah," you say, staring at Gate. "Funny how that works out, isn't it?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Progress moving swiftly along here. Why they should be done around the mid-season finale, I'd wager!


	11. ARTWORK: Book Gates

IDLE

ACTIVE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Depiction of Dialing Sequence will be unveiled at the start of the next chapter, SGA:04X06: Tabula Rasa. 
> 
> Yes, the glow of the glyphs going over the chevrons is intentional. It's a nod to URU's sometimes odd way of handling alpha layers. ^^;
> 
> The portal/vortex is handled slightly differently than regular stargates, but I decided to use the usual blue water puddle here as a placeholder for the image.
> 
> I apologize that some of the inner ring isn't even, but it's just one of those things that isn't too important in the grand scheme of things.


	12. SGA:04X06: Tabula Rasa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't get distracted or you'll- You'll...
> 
> ...What were you doing again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Amnesia inducing supercold discussed this chapter.

**EARTH DATE: DECEMBER 3RD, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 06/12/0006.**

"Begin the dialing sequence," your name is Mikari Aiikho, and you call for the first test dialing between Pier One with the Main Gate in the Central City on Floor One.

"Roger that," Rodney calls out, pressing the first symbol on the Atlantis style DHD in the control room.

Instantly, a glyph carved into the stone ring inside of the Linking Gate begins to glow blue, and then the ring starts to spin. It makes a loud, grinding, metal on stone noise that you hope can get patched out sooner rather than later.

The first glyph rotates into position behind chevron one, and the carving ceases to glow blue, switching instead to Orange as the chevron itself glows blue.

"Chevron One, Encoded," Rodney reports. 

You'd chide him for taking his time otherwise, but this is a proper test of the system, each chevron locked needs to be tested as its connected to the network.  
Second glyph lights up blue, the Ring spins towards the second Chevron, locks into place as the glyph switches to orange and the chevron lights up.

"Chevron Two, Encoded," Rodney smiles, and starts pressing the next glyph.

Light, grinding spin, lock, and color swap.

"Chevron Three, Encoded," Rodney continues.

You try not to hold your breath. This isn't anything big. It's just a stupid trial dial of the system, connecting the Five completed piers to the Central Hub of the entire Nexus System being installed.

"Chevron Four, Encoded..."

A variable, on the spot constructed linking point focused within a Stargate is a lot different than the usual wormholes, though.

"Chevron Five, Encoded," Rodney reports.

The sixth glyph lights up on the ring, it spins, and locks into place, glowing orange as the chevron lights up blue.

"Chevron Six, Encoded." Rodney looks to you. "Alright, here we go, moment of truth."

He presses the seventh symbol.

This time, the glyph lights up green instead of blue, as the entire ring rotates around to the seventh spot.

It spins into place- the Chevron opens...

"Chevron Seven..."

The Other orange glyphs on the ring flash to green as the seventh Chevron flashes blue and locks closed, and all the unused glyphs on the gate glow orange.

"Is Locked," Rodney finishes.

Instead of the Kawoosh that you're used to, the sort of... reverse of a dispersing wormhole happens. Glowing motes of light rapidly form together in the center of the Gate, and then stabilizes into an image of a city square. It's severely disconcerting to watch and gives you a slight headache for a few moments.

There's no sound accompanying it, either, which makes it worse, somehow.

"Not only was that painful to look at, It's a little underwhelming with out the sounds," you frown as a team of technicians on either side of the newly established connection run their tests.

"Tell me about it," Rodney gripes, shaking his head briefly. "I wonder if they'd let me make them do the "Waa Waah kawoosh" sounds as, like, a warning sound that a connection is being established."

"You know," you say. "I think I'll ask Commander Yuki about that. As, like, a safety feature. We don't want people standing infront of these things when they're connecting and having a horrific accident because their brains have a hard time processing the subspace connection, after all."

"Shouldn't be too hard to add at this point," Rodney says. "After all, gotta lower that grinding sound to a minimum anyways... Maybe we could put an idle water vortex image in place for the start up too. Delay the actual portal opening until its been safely disguised by the water vortex and then dismiss it?"

You smile, and just hope that testing on that front goes smoothly.

* * *

[ **o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg)

* * *

Your name is Samantha Carter, and you stand infront of a camera as the stargate dials to Earth.

_ **WAA WAA! KAWOOOSH!** _

Radio transmission goes through, annnnd...

"This is Samantha Carter, delivering a status update for the SGC regarding a Medical emergency on Atlantis," you speak. "May I speak to General O'neill or General Landry, Please?"

"One moment," Walter's voice echoes over the line.

Then...

Video cuts in on the terminal nearby.

_"Sam,"_ Jack smiles, though, it's slightly tense. _"We heard you had something of a cold situation when you contacted us last night. What's the news?"_

"It's a mix of Good news and bad news," you say. "The good news is that in the time since the Tok'ra and Jaffa among the expedition noticed the pathogen, they seem to be immune thanks to their symbiotes, however, Jolinar is working fairly hard to keep me healthy at the moment and I imagine the rest are as well. We're lucky they picked up on it when they did, however. As of an hour ago, the Infirmary got hit with about thirty new cases of this disease among our dimension's human members of the expedition, adding onto yesterdays twenty. Most of the original victims from the recent Mainland expedition have started showing signs of amnesia as a result of the disease's progression."

_"What about the others?"_ Jack asks, face growing serious to match his tone of voice.

"Of the earliest hit among the Alternians, it seems like it's not hitting anywhere near as hard. Fevers and stuffy noses, but otherwise they seem to be fine." You report. "The D'ni, Fae, and Aincrad Humans are being hit somewhere variably. The Fae are reacting about as well as the Alternians, while the people from Aincrad and D'ni seem to have it worse. Interestingly, Jade, John, and Argo are showing preliminary signs of immunity. They all caught a cold when they were staying with the Athosians during the six months the Expeidtion was on hold. Teyla and Ronon seem fine as well for the time being, combined with the fact Atlantis isn't shutting us into quarantine, we think this is a variation of a normal Pegasus strain. Doctor Keller and Doctor Fraiser are searching databases for a match to the bacteria that seems to be causing this. We're narrowing it down by local Pegasus colds we've already encountered to hopefully narrow down the search."

_"Alright,"_ Jack nods._ "So... we're keeping Atlantis quarantined for the time being then?"_

"Until we figure out what this is, I'm going to suspend all gate activity on Atlantis and have the Control Crystal removed," you add. 

_"That's... a pretty smart idea, honestly,"_ Jack nods. _"Anything else?"_

"I'd also like to suggest that we start implementing a 24 hour wait period on Midway station during all future transitions from Pegasus to avoid cross contamination of diseases," you say.

_"Also will approve that,"_ Jack says. **"I can't see why anyone else would reject it, really."**

"Hopefully we'll figure it out soon enough and everything will be cleared up," you say.

_"Good luck, Sam. And... Take care,"_ Jack says, and you know what he wants to say but can't. 

"Thanks," you say. "You too." 

Stupid IOA.

* * *

Your name is Polypa Goezee, and the simple fact of the matter was that your hive was rapidly becoming more and more consistently crowded by the week.

Not too long after the whole "Shaper flipped a kid's Gender trying to teach another kid a lesson about stealing" but before the "and then Shaper got destroyed" thing, Yeesha had dropped by on chance to visit. 

June and Rose being present at that time, naturally, had lead to the D'ni woman offering to give them Relto Books. Of course, she didn't have any on hand at that moment, but had promised to bring some around the next time they'd met.

And then you and Joey had gone to Releeshan for some Official Diplomacy Business, and Joey had come back with a stack of four green books in her sylladex that she soon went back to Earth to leave with the kids on Earth.

Naturally, once they'd gotten their hands on THOSE, it didn't take long for the four kids to start coming here to Diaspora to hang out after school either here or out in town with Nepeta and Equius.

It was all a very lovely series of events, and you're happy to see them commuting more easily and freely...

Except for the fact that today, you have quite the headache of a math problem to solve, and in the other room are six rowdy kids playing Troll!Super Smash Bros. on the gaming console that Mierfa had bought on a whim for last year's Christmas party.

"Man... why is it that when I get asked to indulge in one of my hobbies in a constructive manner, I can't actually focus?" You lament aloud to an Arai Beetle watching you work.

It flutters its wings in a definitely NOT apologetic way. Damn it, Joey.

Joey was in the other room keeping an eye on the kids, but also keeping you company via telepresence. You know Mierfa has one trailing around behind her too on days like today. 

It's surprising how domestic and average your lives have gotten at this point. When you're all not working around The Grubbel's band appearances, Mierfa's down volunteering at the Mother Grub Cavern, and you?

Well.

You've been tapped by Okurii to work the most boring job imaginable... RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.

It's terribly boring except for when you get asked to calculate how many explosives are required to clear away a small hill to make way for a road or how much of a bang is too loud of a bang and at what distances for people to safely get away with not wearing protective ear-guards.

Today's assignment is to figure out how much C-4 and/or TNT needs to be requisitioned to clear away a rather large rockslide that's blocked a road between the Villein settlement and a further, somewhat more distant Troll Settlement, up in the mountains.

And the reason they're asking is to find out whether lugging a bunch of explosives via Sylladex would be cheaper than lugging a bunch of heavyduty equipment by ship or by foot, or whatever...

Basically. You're supposed to help them figure out how many explosives they'd need and how expensive it'd be.

...But damn it, those kids just had to choose today of all days to come visit and play video games, and Joey just HAD to offer up your living room for it! Man. Such a pain in the ass, your Kismesis. You wanna go join in on the fun!! She knows how hard it is for you to focus when there are people. Having fun. Just in the other room!

God, such a frustrating thing!!

...But... Still, you'd rather be tortured like this than be out somewhere in the cosmos doing wetwork jobs with no idea when you'd be coming home again.

And isn't that a funny thought? 

...Wait. You check the calender. December Third? Isn't that... Doesn't that mean Jade's Birthday is tomorrow? No. Wait. Wasn't Jade's Birthday the first? Then... Rose's the 2nd and... Nepp's the 4th? Or was it Roses the 4th and Nepp's the 3rd??

SHIT. How did you *Forget* it was their birthdays this time of the Earth year??

Your work can wait for later. You've got BIRTHDAYS to Celebrate that you completely spaced on!!

* * *

Alexsander Chekov was not having a good year.

Really, 2002 had just kind of sucked in general for the Russian man, but the worst part was the death of his Cousin, the COLONEL Chekov, had died on the Korolev during the battle of P3Y-229.

So, he fought tooth and nail to get the position of IOA Representative of Russia, which had not been fun at all. But he had done it. He would use his newfound power to RUIN the SGC and the Atlantis Expedition!

And then.

AND THEN!!!

As he finally got the job, and came into the acquaintanceship of two other recently appointed Representatives, they had the idea of gaining more control over the Atlantis Expedition. So... Hearing that the D'ni of Releeshan may be seeking to join...

Alexsander had the misfortune of being chosen to go negotiate the entire thing with them.

And GOD. Had he been played a fool!

But, even if he hadn't... if the D'ni and Aincradians and Alfheim Fae had been genuinely playing ball and not being bastards working against him and the others...

The ONE aspect of the plan he'd actually objected over had blown up in his face in all the worst ways!!

The damned blackmail over Rodney Mckay had fallen flat on its face, because those D'ni and Aincrad and Alfheim folk actually WANTED the Scientist present for their own means! So the entire stunt had fallen so flat on its face that there was no face anymore. It was just a pancake left lying in the road to be driven over!

He'd know it was risky. He'd told them the Blackmail was not legal. At all. Those kinds of threats were far beyond even the IOA's power to reasonably get away with in anything but the most shady of shadowy means.

But they hadn't listened. They'd insisted on going through with it.

Worse, his compatriots who had come up with the plan in the first place then turned the blame onto HIM to try and make their own punishments EASIER!

And now here the proud cousin of the Man who had given his life to the Stargate Program sat in a jail cell, awaiting trial.

Yes, truly, 2002 couldn't get any worse for the man.

A guard approached, knocking on his cell door and speaking in Russian, "Chekov. You've got a visitor."

Alexsander Chekov sighed. His lawyer, probably. "Very well."

And thus, he was escorted to the visitor's room, with the lone table with a single man sitting at it.

Much to Alexsander's surprise, however, there was not his lawyer present, but another man instead. American, by the facial structure. He was dressed as a Lawyer, yes, but not one of his.

"[Hello, Alexsander, my name is Mark Anton, I'm here as a stand in for my boss,]" The man spoke not im American or Russian, though, but in rather flawless Egyptian, a language that Alexsander had learned on a whim during his college years. This man had done his research, whoever he was because 'Mark Anton' sounded suspiciously like an Alias. "[My Boss heard you recently were in possession of some... sensitive information recently. Information I would like to discuss with you.]"

"[What kind of information?]" Alexsander asks in Egyptian, frowning, as he sits down. "[I am in prison, after all.]"

"[The kind that saves lives,]" this Mark Anton said. "[My Boss requires the aid of... those with experience with Nano technology, and I heard that you recently were in possession of knowledge of an... illicit nature that could... Secure the assistance of a Scientist with such experience.]"

...Mckay. This man was talking about Rodney Mckay.

Alexsander worked his jaw. "[I will need time to think about this.]"

"[Not too much time, I would hope. My offer has an explicit time limit on it. One tied to a life worth saving.]" Anton removed a photograph from his jacket pocket, and slid it across the table. 

Alexsander peers at it... the image of a young girl stares back at him from her unenviable position of being bound to a hospital bed. 

The photograph is removed before he can take a deeper look at it.

"[Time is ticking, Mister Chekov. I am sure your cousin would have wished that your misdeeds saved atleast one life, wouldn't you agree?]"

* * *

"Kirsan Fever," you name is... is... um.... Jaaaaaaaaaaaa.... Jeeee... Jennifer Keller. Right. You're a doctor for the A.... Alter... No... Um... Atlantis Expedition. "According to Doctor Beckett's notes, it's a common childhood ailment in Pegasus. That can rarely affect adults if they missed having it as a kid."

"I had it when I was eight," Teyla says.

"Ten," Ronon agrees.

"That's what Jade, Argo, and I came down with when we were staying in Pegasus," J... J... Sheppard says. "Jinto caught it and we caught it from him. But it was nowhere near this bad."

"That's because it's mutated," you say. "This planet didn't have a Stargate on it until we came here. If the... The..." you... "What was I saying?"

"If the Ancients Came to this planet with the disease at some point in the past, it'd stay behind and mutate," Sheo... Gor... Shepp... Sheppard? Sheppard says. "Beyond what it is elsewhere in Pegasus. So... We know there's probably a cure for it in the form of the old cure, right? Some kind of plant you guys put in a soup?"

"The Enchuri plant," Te... yela? Teylaaah? Teyla. Teyla says. "It's a common weed on may worlds. We can go to the Alpha site and collect some of the plant there."

"Not easily," Car... Cartwheel? No, Carter. "We had Zelenka remove the dialing crystal."

They try radioing Z...Ze... What's his name. But he doesn't reply.

"We'll fly to the mainland," She... The cool hair guy says. "Look for the plant there."

"I'll go help with that," Ron... Ronin? No. Dexxxxter??.... says. "I know what it looks like."

And... uh...

They...

...

...

...

"I think I need to lie down," you say, suddenly realizing that you're supporting all of your weight against an office desk, with rather wobbly legs.

* * *

**EARTH DATE: DECEMBER 4TH, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 06/13/0006.**

Your name is Aiden Ford, and you peer at the Athosian Settlement with no small measure of confusion.

Why weren't they missing yet? 

Why hadn't Michael done as he'd done in all the other timelines and TAKEN THEM YET??

He waited for the former Wraith to spot him from great distance, and approach.

"Ford," Michael said once he did such. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," You narrow your eyes at the man. "Why are you still here?"

"...Why am I still here?" Michael frowns. "Are you asking me why I'm not going along the same path as my other selves??"

"Yes." You grunt at the man. "Why. Aren't. You. Following. The. Script?"

"Because they actually made it PERMANENT!" Michael throws his arms out to the side. "Unlike every other timeline you made me remember! They've made this Permanent!! I haven't taken a dose of Retro Virus since they last gave it to me! I'm Done! I'm cured! I'm out! As far as I'm concerned this is my Vacation away from all those other horrible paths I could have taken! I have no reason to act that way! And from what I remember of those other worlds, a LOT of MY problems with the Wraith are already on the road to being taken care of!"

"You need to follow the SCRIPT, Michael," you tell him. "We're delving into territory I can't predict if we don't follow the script!"

"Well, you can follow whatever script you fucking want, Ford," Michael growls at you in turn. "But me? No. I am Out. Find someone else to be your fucking mad scientist pawn or do it yourself. Because I am NOT going down that road this time. It always ends with me Dead and I'd rather NOT die prematurely this time around."

And with that, he turns around and leaves.

Damn it.

DAMN IT.

They're not following the Script. They're not following the Story.

You're the one who sees how it all falls out and here they are not following it.

This isn't how it's supposed to go.

...Michael's right though. 

You have to make it follow the pattern, even if they'll hate you for it.

The Show Must Go On.

* * *

**EARTH DATE: DECEMBER 5TH, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 06/14/0006.**

Your name is Gordon Freeman, and you wake up with a dull headache in the infirmary.

"Wuhappen?" you mutter, trying to piece your memories together, foggy as they are. "Where am I?"

"You're in the Infirmary," says an all too chipper voice from across the room, muffled by food in the mouth.

You glance over and see Doctor Gina Kae resting in one bed, and sitting on the edge of her bed is one of the Documentary Crew camera people- you draw a blank on his name for a moment before it snaps into place- Ziggy Grover.

He's eating from a bowl of cereal, and Gina looks absolutely amused by his presence. He waves with a spoon in hand.

"We've all suffered from a mutated, amnesia inducing bacteria, apparently," Gina remarks. "Most of us still in the Infirmary are being held for observation because we woke up later than the rest."

"How long was I out?" you ask.

"You were, ah," Ziggy swallows his cereal. "You were asleep when I woke up yesterday morning, and it's... eh, a day later than that? Sooo... Yeah. Been a while."

"That's not comforting at all," you say.

"Did you know you talk in your sleep?" Gina inquires.

"...No I did not but somehow that's even less comforting," you gripe. 

"All I have to ask is who's Doctor Breen and why does he deserve a crowbar suck up where the sun don't shine?" Ziggy asks.

You throw your head back and groan. "_Goooooood._ Why did my amnesia have to fade **_before I woke up!?"_**

Those two laugh at your expense.

Sometimes, life is just not fair. Not fair at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: MINISODE: FLASHBACK: The Problem with Prophecies.
> 
> Ugh, episodes like the canon plot of tabula rasa are headache inducers for me. Sooo... I spent some time zipping around canon for other scenes to look at.
> 
> Not much else to say here.


	13. MINISODE: FLASHBACK: The Problem with Prophecies.

Waver Velvet, a young D'ni man in his early 90s but visually not a day over 25, paused as he flicked on the light switch to his home office.

"Yeesha," he stated simply.

"Waver," the woman sitting in his office chair replied just as simply, lounging back against it with all the energy and weight of a thorougly soaked blanket. Her eyes were closed, and she looked exhausted. Where-ever she'd been before linking into his office from who knows where (He was choosing to ignore the how for the moment because he knew he had no books to this room, and he honestly suspected he knew anyways) had clearly been exhausting and tiring to such an extreme degree.

"While normally I would ask 'To what do I owe this late night tripping of my home's alarm systems?' Instead, I think I'll ask, 'Yeesha, my friend, weren't you supposed to be journeying in the Cavern of D'ni?'" Waver asked.

"Have you ever wondered what the problem with Prophecies is?" Yeesha asked, not even opening her eyes, and choosing to answer the first question instead of the second.

"Are we resuming our talk from the last time we spoke about Watcher's Words, or is this something else?" Waver asked, moving to sit down in another, less comfortable chair that his guests usually sat in.

"Watcher's, but also something else," she answers.

"Then my answer is unchanged," you say. "Self fulfilling prophecies exist for those who wish to fill them. Nine times out of ten, anyone aware of the criteria of a prophecy will carry it out. And the tenth, there will always be someone unaware who fulfills it by sheer circumstance and desire, simply because that is how things go, rather than out of a desire to fulfill a prophecy."

"And what if Time Travel was involved?" she asked.

"...Pardon?" Waver asked. "I thought we all agreed that Time Travel was not a thing."

"But what if it is?" she asked, finally opening her eyes, sitting upright, and letting him look at her a bit more properly.

He saw a weight in her eyes that couldn't come from anything but age and experiences that would make even grown men cry.

"...Are you saying you found a way to link through time?" Waver asked.

Yeesha smiled a grim, pained smile. "I have... unfortunately found myself lost."

"Lost?" Waver asked, gazing at the woman. "How?"

"I think I saw a bad future," Yeesha answered. "And I have no idea whether it was our future or some other universe's future. I have no idea if you're even My Waver or not. Or even what year it is."

"What D'ni year was it when you left?" Waver asked, and she gave the current year. "And how old are you?" She gave the age he expected. Thus, he asked, "What Day was it when you left?" And she gave him a date that was at least a week ago, but that tracked with how long she said she'd been in the other timeline's future.

Finally, he asked her about if she'd been receiving his letters or not.

She had, he asked to see them. She showed him the device they shared copies of to use in correspondence. The messages on it were consistent with his memories.

There was but one test left to make.

He got out his long range, electronic mail device, and sent the Yeesha on his contacts list a simple message, "Connection test. Please Reply within 25 hours at earliest convenience."

Of course, her matching device resounded with an arrived mail, and Waver said, "Don't answer it. If there is another you left wandering around this timeline, she will reply."

"And if she doesn't?" Yeesha asks.

"Then you are her, and you are where you belong on the Great Tree," Waver concluded. "And if you are where you are meant to be..."

"What does it mean of the future then?" Yeesha asked, frowning. "What I've seen... how do I avert it? And if I can't avert it... Is it prophecy by my returning to this time?"

She told him of what she saw. Of what she'd experienced... And Waver considered it all for several long minutes.

Then, he stated, simply, "If what you described to me truly comes to pass... and Time Travel exists in other means beyond the method you discovered... Someone else will see that future, and derail it before it happens. That year you mentioned is almost a hundred years off by Earth's current history, if I remember my dates correctly. A lot can change in that amount of time." he smiled. "I am certain that if someone from that future wishes it to be undone... it will be."

And by this time the next day, no messages had come back, and Yeesha was quite certain for sure now that she was back in the timeline she had originally left.  
  
Neither of them tried to pay it much mind, but the thought still weighed on their shoulders ever so subtly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: SGA:04X07: Small Butterflies Gone Missing
> 
> You might be able to guess from this alone, let alone the next flashback chapter, but Yeesha caught a glimpse of A6A5's story arc. 
> 
> Up next in this mini-arc of sorts is the divergence point. Rather, when things went right in our timeline, and we'll carry on forwards through with events set in this world line.


	14. SGA:04X07: Small Butterflies Gone Missing

**EARTH DATE: DECEMBER 15TH, 2002.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 06/24/0006.**

Your name is Michael Kenmore, and you groan awake- miraculously.

The last thing you remember, you'd been stabbed in the gut by someone and were fleeing into the forest and...

And your stomach feels a bit better than it did before- it still hurts like a burning poker is jabbed in there, but it's more of a cooled poker than a molten hot poker.

"Wh..?" You realize after a moment that you're in a hunting blind and not in the middle of the forest.

"Teyla! He's awake!" And then Doctor Keller is hover over you, looking like she's run through hell. "Michael? How are you feeling?"

"Ngh... Like I got hit in the stomach by fireplace poker," knowledge from another timeline provides the metaphor, slipping out without your consent. "Cooled, now... felt like it was burning earlier." 

"Well, that's not good, but hopefully it won't get worse," Keller looks to the side as Teyla enters the hunting blind.

"Michael," Teyla smiles, but it's a tense smile. "What happened here?"

"What happened?" You frown, your mind is a whirl of timeline data that isn't related to this one. "My head's a bit fuzzy with other worlds at the moment. Give me a refresher, please?"

"We arrived here this morning and found the village abandoned," Teyla says. "There were bandits- Bola Kai- that had taken over the village."

Your mind grinds to a halt.

Multiple timelines tell you that you should have been the one behind this.

Your Burning Stomach Wound tells you Otherwise for this world.

"Ford," You growl, the memory rushing back to you. This is your fault, but not as directly as it has been in other timelines. 

"Ford?" Keller asks. 

"Aiden Ford did this?" Teyla asks, a frown forming on her face.

"I remember him stabbing me, if that's what you're asking," you snarl. "I was out in the forest gathering some mushrooms for Escali and Ford fucking steps out from behind a tree."

"What happened?" Teyla asks. "Did he say anything?"

"Yeah," you quote, "'If you're not going to play your part, then your role in this story is over.' And then he fucking stabbed me in the stomach before I knew what was happening. Then he left, and I heard Wraith Darts overhead and I ran. I think the whole settlement got kidnapped."

"What role is he talking about?" Keller asks.

"Aiden Ford was dosed on Wraith Enzyme, which triggered some latent powers of his," Teyla explains. "This allowed him the ability to see into other timelines. Enough similar ones, at any rate, that made him think there was a story our timeline was supposed to be following. He's been obsessed with it ever since."

"Even going so far to rescue me from the Wraith just to put me in Atlantis' hands like I wound up in a bunch of other timelines," you add. "But he made me see other timelines when he rescued me. I think he thought it'd make me more willing to follow his 'script,' but all it did was make me want to have a vacation timeline that wasn't anything like I did before." You frown. "He approached me once. Not too long ago. I told him off. I didn't want to do what he wanted me to do... Told him to either find someone else to do it or do it himself. I figured he'd give up, but... Damn it, This is my fault."

"No, I wouldn't go that far," Teyla says. "You've made your choices to live your own life outside of how other yous have lived. That much has been clear to us. If Ford is trying to replace your position in his 'story' with someone else- or more likely, himself- then that is HIS decision, and not yours."

"...She's right," Keller says. "If I were in your position I don't think I'd want to play along with a "story" like that even if I did play along with the initial first steps."

You consider that... And you consult the memories of other yous...

The vast majority who retained their Wraith ambitions agree with that position.

"...Yeah," you take a deep breath, steeling yourself against the stomach pain. You exhale slowly. "You're both right. Even if I did go down the villain route this timeline, there's no way I'd follow Ford's route word for word. That's just not who I am."

"If Ford thinks you're dead, we may have an advantage in that he'll keep following 'the script' and you can use your memories to give us a heads up on the route he'll take," Teyla says.

"Maybe," you say. "If he didn't plan for me to get found and survive, that is."

"And then at this point we're just second guessing everything trying to figure out what to do," Keller says.

"We will wait until morning," Teyla decides. "Atlantis will come check on us once we are late to report in."

"Let's just hope the Bola Kai don't find us first," you grunt. "I really don't want to get eaten by cannibals."

* * *

**EARTH DATE: DECEMBER 16TH, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 06/25/0006.**

The Bola Kai raiders thought they were dealing with two unpowered women and a wounded man.

They failed to consider the possibility that one of those two women was able to generate flames in her hand that could burn and sear flesh with but a touch, if she so wished.

Needless to say, they were enraged and at the mass burning going on when one of their soldiers tried to approach and attack.

...Needless to say, the rest of them fled for their lives through the Stargate when a Puddle Jumper's worth of Ronon Dex, John Sheppard, and Jimmyy O'neill entered the fray and unleashed hell on them in the form of explosive weapon blasts, the very wind itself turning into sharpened blades, and chased by the very trees and plantlife around them springing to life in an attempt to end theirs.

They would not be going back to that planet any time soon, that was for sure.

And honestly, you probably wouldn't want to go back either.

In the end, Teyla found herself in the infirmary, stuck unnecessarily in bed, as Keller hobbled around with crutches as she worked on this and that test result.

"Keller, I am fine," Teyla told her about the fifth time that hour. "You and Michael both took far more damage than I did during that fight."

"Yes, you might be, but just let me finish these tests to make sure I'm reading things right," Keller said. "I just... there's some anomalies in your bloodwork I need to check out."

You were the one who advised Keller to run the tests. This was how it went in most timelines...

"Fine," Teyla relented, and glanced at you. "And how are you feeling?"

"Doc Marie said I'll be just fine in a couple of months and the stitches are ready to come out," you tell her. 

"Oh, Teyla," Keller suddenly gasped, peering at a set of results. "I am definitely keeping you under observation for another day."

"Why?" Teyla asks, glancing over at her. "I feel fine."

"Yes, you're fine, but it's not you I'm worried about," Keller stands up, hobbles over, and shoves a tablet into Teyla's awaiting hands. "Look."

Teyla stares at it, then looks up at Keller. "Oh. This... You mean-?"

"You're Pregnant," Keller confirms.

Well, there's that universal constant confirmed. 

Which means... Ford is probably going to try coming after her if he's following the script other yours in other worlds have written.

Damn it all. You're pretty sure so many others yous would be laughing if they were truly aware of this situation, stuck on the other side of it as you are.

You're going to have to compile a LOT of data on the actions other yous took and try and look for the common and uncommon threads, and try to figure out just what the hell Ford's gameplan is.

...At the very least you can be certain that he'll keep The Athosians alive just so long as they-

...Wait.

...Shit.

Other experiments. You have to warn them about other experiments other yous have done that Ford might be trying to replicate.

Bastard! The bastard! You-- _**GAH!!!**_

Why didn't you just kill Ford when you had a chance!!?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo.... Here's a couple of recurring plot arcs from canon that I have to address the problems of somehow. 
> 
> Problem the first: Missing Athosians. Why would this still happen if Michael is off script? Ford. We'll be continuing the whole idea of a Prince of Heart type character going along and trying to take control over a narrative, exploring how it pans out. 
> 
> Honestly, the whole concept of someone trying to rig events to follow the same course has started to make me feel uncomfortable with how this is playing out, but I've got to pull it through to the end to see how this all pans out. There's enough narrative momentum behind this now that... It can't just poof into thin air without reason. Hidden enemies and all that jazz.
> 
> Problem the second: Teyla's pregnancy. The one complaint I have about this entire thing is how badly the writers of Canon Atlantis bungled the damned timeline! *GOD. FUCKING. DAMN IT.* None of this season's time progression *WORKS* and I can't tell how much of it was them trying to write it into the story to cover the actress' real life pregnancy, or how much of it is just the usual nonsensical fast and loose play-it-by-episode style they HAD for some episodes. (COUGH COUGH. See SG-1's "100 Days." That was all a single episode. ONE EPISODE!!!) 
> 
> I've had to fudge the timeline with Teyla's pregnancy to make things even remotely play out in a decently paced way. If I didn't, the latter half of this season would have the time span between episodes being close to *two months at a time.* Which, quite frankly, *does not work* for some of these episodes and the stated amount of time between them! Just. *What.* What were the writer's thinking? It feels so... badly executed in some ways. *shakes head.* 
> 
> I'm not *opposed* to working with such spans of time, but something about the whole situation as it is irks me from a writing standpoint. 
> 
> Next Episode/Chapter: ALT:10x08/INTERMISSION: Looped With A Christmas Bow  
Yeeep. We're closing out the week with a *Christmas episode!!* In ~~October~~!!!! Not very seasonal at all. LOL. 
> 
> MEANWHILE: Hey, new PesterQuest volumes are out! I'll probably play them after I finish writing this end note.


	15. ALT:10x08/INTERMISSION: Looped With A Christmas Bow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joey muses on the subject of time loops.

**EARTH DATE: DECEMBER 25TH, 2002.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 07/04/0006.**

Penny Polendina Harley was approximately four years old, and squealing like crazy as she rode around on Roxy Lalonde's shoulders as he ran around the snow covered back yard of the Egbert house, trying to avoid being 'caught' by Jade Harley and Nepp Strider.

Naturally, Penny was decked out in snow clothes themed after Glaceon.

Your name is Joey Claire, and, honestly, the whole "Penny's into Pokemon" thing was really something that was obvious in hindsight. Especially considering the Photo Future Jonas had shown you all those years ago when you went back intime to Giza.

It's the same outfit from the photograph. You just didn't know it was POKEMON at the time. And what's more... You're pretty certain that photograph is going to be taken today or tomorrow. She looks about the right age.

The Penny you met all those years ago back in 1999 was six, and came back from the estimated year 2004. It's... strangely close to the future that could have been, all things considered. The end of the year 2002 is upon you, and 2003 is but a few days away.

But there are differences, though. There is no 'Aunt Morgan' in her life at this point. Plus, Diemen's out in Atlantis now, nowhere near a place to be considered an uncle to the girl, or have a chance to have tried his Macaroni and Cheese. That's the weirdest thing about all of this, really.

The specific details of that time loop are pretty thoroughly disrupted. Unless when Penny finally goes back in time again in two years time she winds up triggering a memory update like the Karkats have been suffering through... Well...

It's weird. The first bit of information that you got from arguably the furthest forward point of time seems *accurate* and yet the second bit of information from arguably around that same time seems *off* somehow.

Old Latula on Haven hasn't even built a swing set near the Gate just to try and avoid that loop. Arguably, the park on Diaspora near the Stargate there would be more-

...

Wait.

...

Wait just a fucking second.

The Replicator Polendina was in the Unending, and John and Rose had talked to you about their concerns about her possibly being reincarnated into life as Penny. The Replicator woman in the Unending certainly LOOKED like the Older Penny you'd seen from a different unstable time loop... one that had wound up with Ganos *dead.*

...And...

...And that Penny had the use of Replicators.

Fucking hell. Is it possible that somewhere inside that little girl's brain resides memories she shouldn't have?

Could that Penny from all those years ago have LIED?

...But...

No. The Paradox. Ganos dying. That had verifiable aftershocks on the timeline itself. There had been a certifiably hiccup to events!

...Unless the paradox in question wasn't related to *Ganos* Dying.

"Got a headache?" Xefros asks, sitting next to you on the porch steps.

"Eh?" You ask.

"You've got that look on your face like you've got a headache," Xefros says. "So I was asking if-"

"Not a headache headache," you tell him, shaking your head sharply. "Just... timeline headache."

"Ah," Xefros nods, glancing at Penny. "Time Loop shenanigans?"

"I keep thinking back to the whole Penny knowing Ganos thing," you admit. "I... I'm actually a little concerned that she might have been lying to us."

"Penny? Lying to us?" Xefros scoffs. "That sweet adorable little girl? Lie to us? C'mon, Joey. That's impossible."

"Not unless we told her it was a game and to do it," you say. "I left a letter to myself, after all. That time loop worked out. Everything else about that time loop worked out as far as we know, but there are details and events that have changed and I can't help but wonder if Penny was lying to us to preserve events in the way they were really meant to go."

"So... "Aunt Morgan" wasn't really Aunt Ganos," Xefros frowns. "I dunno, that seems..."

Roxy suddenly tumbles as Jade spontaneously teleports onto his leg, sending the three of them tumbling into the snow.

Penny squeals as she dives into a large snowbank, and then emerges seconds later shouting in a language that you recognize all too easily now thanks to having stepped through a Stargate enough times with people who know the language.

What she yelled was "That was fun! Let's do it again!" in Ancient, a language that, as far as any of you knew, Penny had never actually learned anything of from anyone.

"Xeef," you start, staring at the young four year old. "Please tell me that my ears mistranslated and she was speaking Alternian instead?"

"If I Did, I'd be lying," Xefros answers, staring as well.

Before either of you can discuss further, that's when Diemen and Boldir show up with a large tray of Mac N Cheese ready to bake for lunch, around that time, and you can't help but face palm.

Because. Of Course. That random detail would come into play now of all times.

* * *

"So, how's the situation with Emerald going?" Okurii was asking Davis as you all come inside from the cold.

"Family's just glad to have her back, kids adjusting, and the courts are expediting the cases from one state to the next for ol' 'Cinder Fall'," Davis answered. "Last I heard, she's up to three life sentences so far and counting."

"Yikes," Okurii laughed, somewhat amused.

Elsewhere you see Cassie and Jude helping to get Penny's snow boots off.

You're tempted, so severely tempted to talk to them about this timeline shit, but...

_Ngh._

You can't. Something about all of this just bugs the hell out of you still and doesn't sit right.

Everything about the two jump backs that different Pennys did just... feels off.

Maybe you're just too hungry to think on it right?

Lunch is called to session, and as you all sit down to eat a happy, hearty meal...

_ **BEEP! KACLIK! FLASH!** _

A Camera flashes.

You look up at Mitchel across the table, holding a camera in hand, having just taken a candid photo of Jude and Cassie sitting with Penny inbetween them. Plates of food infront of them... And of course, there's a pile of mac n cheese on the center plate.

It's a familiar sight.

Just like that, another time loop completed without even prompting.

You look at Jonas, and narrow your eyes significantly at him.

He blinks, once he notices your attention, and you tilt your head at Mitchel, and mouth, "Photo, Wallet."

Jonas nods, getting the message, even as Mitchel takes more pictures of people around the table.

One such photo winds up being of Roxy Lalonde shoveling a large cinnamon roll onto Callie's lunch plate. How cute!

You notice Roxy Egbert give them a double take of surprise, then laugh.

Huh.

Time loops aside, things carry on. Family gatherings happen again and again.

The only downside to this year is Jack O'neill not being present, despite everyone else being here. He's apparently gone to Atlantis to keep Sam company this year, given that she couldn't get away for this years festivities.

A shame, really...

Maybe you should have taken the job after all...? Or, at the very least, been less ambitious than putting EIGHT ZEROS on the pay request.

...Oh well. What's done is done. No time for doubts now.

"So!" Mitchel starts speaking excitedly. "Make sure you all try a macaroon and tell Mordred how good they came out!"

"Please," Mordred scoffed. "It was my first try with a well honed family recipe. Any credit for how good they are goes to that and not me."

The two of them start arguing in a friendly way, and you decide to atleast give one of the fancy cookies a try.

You got Raspberry flavored. It surprisingly makes you nostalgic for some Raspberry Poptarts from when you were a little kid.

When was the last time you ever even had one of those?

* * *

As Lunch wrapped down...

"Okay, so let me paint the picture here!" Jude starts weaving a story. "It's just us, in a forest, camped outside of a Ha'tak marked with Ba'als symbols all over the place. Like. Oh my god, he could not have a bigger ego! It was like a big neon sign, saying, 'I am Ba'al! And I have biiiig ambitions! So I'm plastering my name over everything! Come fight me!'"

As your brother and the rest of SG-1 start a retelling of their latest exploits, vanquishing yet another Ba'al clone, you can't help but zone out a little as you just take in how happy they all look as a team.

Vala sits, crouched, cat like, on the arm of a sofa chair that Jonas was sitting in. Meanwhile, Mitchel, Mordred, and Cassie sit on a larger couch, with Jude sitting cross legged on the floor infront of Cassie, a contently full and slightly dozing Penny resting in his lap.

The rest of the room is doing their own things, such as nearby, where Rose, June, Jade, Nepp, and Nepeta all stare at the massive pile of presents under the tree, waiting, just waiting, for the moment when presents would be opened. But... your focus is on SG-1.

2004 is just a little over a year away.

The team you met in Giza is just a little over a year too young at this moment, but you can see the bonds of teamwork and family holding them all together.

You want to wonder how much your own future actions set them up to set you up to perform those same actions?

...But down that way lies insanity.

So, you try not to focus on it, instead, you focus back on the story being told and-

"So then we have Ba'al on the ground and with his last breath he taunts us that we'll never stop the original him ever again," Mordred laughs. "Then he just... dies with this utterly stupid grin on his face."

...Crap, you zoned on on the whole story, didn't you?

Not too much Later, the presents were to be opened...

First and foremost: Rose and Kanaya dealt with getting an entire Wedding List's worth of gifts given to them for Christmas cleared out from under the tree, because everyone scrambled upon hearing the news of their marriage, and decided to wait to give them stuff at Christmas instead of at a nonexistant wedding reception.

Unsurprisingly, Jade Jackson winds up with a lot of baby clothes as gifts from everyone from Atlantis- including from Mikari, who smiles and says, "Well, I can't be there to help as much as I'd like, so I'm planning ahead a little now while I have the chance."

Meanwhile, Penny received a box full of multiple, Brand Friendly Fetch Modi for a Sylladex for Christmas from Jake and Chixie.

Every, Single, One, that you remember her carrying with her into the past.

Oh, and then there was the backpack. The BACKPACK.

_Gosh. Freaking. Dang it! _

It's like the universe is hitting you over the head with this stuff now.

Everyone else got stuff that was to be expected...

Mierfa and Polypa ended up getting you a pair of sweaters with your respective signs on them on the left and right of your respective quadrant symbols.

It's quite the strange mix of emotions that you feel right then and there.

* * *

As everyone winds down from presents and prepares for dinner, you seek out Callie, because all of this timey wimey shit is giving you an actual headache and not a joking one.

You find Dammek instead, watching his Moirail out in the back yard, playing tag with Roxy Lalonde.

"They look like they're having fun," you observe.

"Yeah," Dammek nods. "I'm glad. She's been pretty stressed out lately with all the, yknow, Unending Monster Shit."

"Ah," you nod. "Right. That."

"We had a nice long talk about all of that 'am I reincarnated from some monster' bullshit," Dammek says, at a quiet whisper, even as Roxy and Callie approach, and then run past you, squealing and giggling.

"I'm gonna get you, Rox!" Callie calls out, a smile on her face.

"Not if I get you first!" Roxy counters, a mad cackle escaping his lips a moment later.

"Several days long, actually," Dammek says. "You know what we talked about?"

"Mmh... Let me guess, the future?" You ask.

"Yep," he nods. "Lots of, "what do we do now?" shit. The same stuff we were dealing with before we settled into doing the Grubbels full time."

"What'd she decide on?" you ask.

Dammek takes off his shades, and gives you That Look. The one that says, 'Take a Guess.'

You glance out into the yard, and watch as Callie spreads her wings and flaps, hard, to give herself a push of speed and momentum that sends her toppling into Roxy and pushing him once more into that same large snowdrift from earlier this morning.

"Atlantis, huh?" You answer your own question.

"Yeah," Dammek nods. "There's just too much here in Milky Way and Alternia at this point to remind her of everything that's happened. She wants something of a clean slate at this point."

"Yeah, I'm not going to argue that," you say. Callie and Roxy haven't moved from the snow drift, and are actually kinda making smooching noises."...I think they're probably going to not want us watching."

"Oh, for sure," Dammek nods, and you both head inside.

"How long has that been going on?" You ask, a little stunned.

"Off and on since last Christmas," Dammek answers. "Apparently."

"Huh," you blink. "How about that."

"So..." Dammek changes topic, "I never did ask. How many zeroes did you put on that Atlantis leadership gig pay request?"

"Eight," you answer, "With a literal eight before it."

"Memetic! And expensive," Dammek laughs.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they tapped out at six zeroes , and anything over that was just over kill," you admit. "But damn, that would've been a preeety penny to- ...To Earn."

Damn it. Stupid metaphor got you thinking about time stuff again.

"Joey?" Dammek asks.

"...Do you think we set Penny up to lie to us when she went back in time?" You ask.

Dammek whistles lowly as he hears your question, putting his shades back on in the process.

"That. Is a heavy handed question, isn't it?" he asks.

"Yeah. Sorry." You sigh. "It's... probably not fair to ask that, is it?"

"It's not an easy question to say the least," Dammek says. "But..."

"But?" You ask.

"But, I think it's probably likely that's how it plays out," Dammek shrugs. "We've worried about this for years now. It's getting about time that she's going to go back in the first place... The only question is, do we rig it rig it, and make a plan for the exact day it happens to ensure it happens, or is it something that just happens naturally that we've already accounted for and were waiting for it to happen in the first place?"

"There's a difference?" you ask.

"Yeah," Dammek smirks. "In one, we make it happen to fulfill the loop- a self fulfilling prophecy. In the other... Shit happens, we deal with it as best as we can, and it just so happens that by rolling with the flow, we made a time loop happen."

"And what if our memories update when it does happen?" You ask. "What if we suddenly forget Penny knowing about 'Aunt Morgan' or even having this conversation?"

"Then the loops are iterative, and keep happening, and keep changing, and nothing's ever the same," Dammek shrugged. "We could be millions of loops in and not know it. But so what? That doesn't make the here and now or the things we've done any less important, does it?"

...

"No," you answer. "I guess it doesn't, does it? Some random mail man could stick his hand in a time portal and fuck shit up by not delivering time loop items without realizing it, and it'd just make a new reality, wouldn't it?"

"That's pretty much how I see it," Dammek says. "The things that happened happened, and the things that happen happen, but just because what happens changes what happened, doesn't mean what happened doesn't still exist somewhere out there in the multiverse, somewhere."

Yeah.

"I guess we'll play it by ear and see what happens with Penny, huh?" You ask.

"Playing it by ear is what we musicians do when we're doing our best improvising," Dammek grins.

You can't argue with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time loops are time loops being filled... eventually. Some more details of the Giza Loop being filled out, and some more speculation about the Penny Loop that I've been sitting on since I first wrote that chapter all that while ago, which just got even more complicated thanks to the Ganos Paradox. Plus: Some background CallieXRoxy, and some other appearances featuring SG-1.
> 
> Eagle eyed reviewers may remember some comments earlier in the act which earned some lore remarks from me that ended up in this chapter, which was being drafted around that time. Such as the amount of Zeroes Joey asked for in her paycheck.
> 
> \---
> 
> When I first introduced Penny, I wanted there to be an air of mystery to it. Namely, "How much of what 6YearOldPenny is telling them is accurate, and how much of it was engineered by older versions of the cast to ensure a stable time loop?" There's also the question of "How much of this info was accurate in previous iterations of time, versus the current iteration of reality?" 
> 
> In the end, this story has always been subject to the fluctuations of time travel, yet paradoxically set in a time frame where all the time travel has already happened. Simultaneously, there have been several versions of time travel being used here. Stable Time Loops, Retconning Time Loops, and Unstable Time Loops that Create Branched Timelines. Certain events are always fixed in stone, Giza, for example, that aren't subject to too much change. Then there's the other stuff, the smaller fluff details, that can change from world line to world line. 
> 
> For the most part, this series operates on Stable and Unstable Loops. Stable Loops are as implied, Stable. Unstable Loops inevitably create new timelines which may or may not interact with the main time line, but eventually do loop around in some way. 
> 
> Events that Retcon the Timeline are rare. They're the one in a million roll of the dice that have things go off course in such a way that affect reality in ways that weren't meant to be affected. The fixed points generally remain the same, but its those tiny, random details that change along the way. ACT 7's Giza always has the same information going in as comes out, but were the SG-1 that Joey originally met in Giza during her push through the loop *aware* of the events of the Rift formation and hiding it, or were they ignorant of it?
> 
> And then there's Mordred to consider. Was he always a part of that loop and Joey and the others kept it quiet? Or does he not go back at all as a part of it? While the answer is up in the air until it gets posted, could it also be possible that the exact people involved in that loop does not matter as long as the same events play out the right way? 
> 
> Where does the line get drawn? 
> 
> That is the unknowable question whenever time travel gets brought up... and it's always been the main focus of the Penny Loop for me. What lines were drawn to make it happen the way it did?
> 
> The accidental addition of the Ganos Death Paradox just lends an extra air of mystery to it, because, while it wasn't intentional on my part... how much was it intentional on the part of the future version of the characters who put it into motion?
> 
> \---
> 
> I am probably going to be recording an interview with JaxDoesHomestuck at some point over the weekend for this story! I have no idea what's going to be discussed but likely I'll be viewing the story from the point that I'm at in my buffer, rather than what's been posted, so depending on when it gets released there may be some spoilers in there or rather discussion about just recently released chapters? *SHRUGS* 
> 
> At any rate when it does come out I'll leave a link to it, I guess. XD


	16. SGA:04X08: The Seer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Wraith get slapped across the face.

**EARTH DATE: JANUARY 10TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 07/20/0006.**

The latest group of transfers and visitors to Atlantis stepped through the Stargate onto the City's Gateroom floor. 

Your name is Callie Ohphee, and you take a deep breath of that fresh, Atlantis air and smile as you adjust your shoulder bag around your wing, and then head up to the Admin Office.

You pass through the Control room, giving a smile and wave to Tyzias as she works on something, and head on along.

You pause at the entrance to the office as John Sheppard, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, and Roxy Lalonde move to exit.

"Oh! Hey Callie! Great to see you!" Roxy flashes you a big grin. "I'll come back once the mission's over and see you then!"

"Alright! Good luck!" you say, and with that, he heads off after the rest of AR-1. 

"Callie, Welcome to Atlantis," Samantha Carter approaches you and motions for you to step inside. 

"Thank you, Sam," you smile and nod. "Where are they off to?" You ask, in question of AR-1, as you step inside the office.

"They're going to check on a planet home to people called the Vadeenans, teir leader is rumored to be a man named Davos who's had psychic visions since even before the Rift formed," Sam explains. "Teyla's checking out as many leads as she can regarding her missing people- filling in the gaps in Michael's meta-knowledge. She's even had Cassie and Terezi consult on a few leads already."

Ah, so that's where Terezi went off to in such a great hurry a couple days ago.

"I can see how that'd be important," you say. "Now that I'm here, is there anywhere you need me? Any important projects that need filling or...?"

Sam smiles. "No, not yet. Jolinar and I would rather give everyone a day or two to get settled in before we start divying out positions."

"Perfectly understandable," you nod. "Shall I go get on that then?" You ask.

"Sure, sure," Sam nods. "But, first..." She peers over your shoulders, and winces. "Mind staying while we deal with Woolsey?"

You glance over your shoulder and see the IOA man standing on the other side of the short bridge between the Control Room and Admin office.

"Well, he's been fairly quiet during the trip," you say. "I can't imagine he'll give us much trouble."

**"Well,"** Jolinar speaks through Sam's mouth then,** "Let us hope that is a good omen of the days to come."** She then steps forwards, opens the office door, and greets, **"Richard Woolsey, I hope your trip was uneventful."**

"Oh, it was," Woolsey says, good naturedly. "Spending a day in quarantine on the Midway station wasn't exactly my idea of a good time. But I suppose it beats a three month journey on the Daedalus."

He's clearly exaggerating. A one way trip without ZPMs is barely even three weeks, let alone with ZPMs.

**"Well, that quarantine is there for good reasons,"** Jolinar says. "**You really can't appreciate how troublesome a virus can be until you're in the thick of fighting it off."**

"For sure, for sure," Woolsey nods. "In any case, it gave me a chance to prepare for your three month evaluation."

**"So, how are we doing?"** Jolinar asks, smiling hopefully.

"Well, that is what remains to be seen," Woolsey says. "But I want you to be assured, I am placed here as Observer only, and I have no intention of getting involved in the day-to-day operations of the base, as much as some others in the IOA may wish it to be so." He rolls his eyes. "As if I'm the one who needed to be told more than once."

"Well, that's certainly a refreshing change of pace," you remark.

"Yes, well, the leaders of the representative nations have told the IOA that after their latest beureaucratic and political snafu, they're to play it as thoroughly hands off as they can," Woolsey says. "And on a personal note, I've recently had it come up in my own performance evaluations that I can be somewhat of a busybody on occasion."

"You?" Sam asks, the change seamless. "C'mon, Woolsey. Since when?" 

"Well, I can think of any number of times starting since when we first met," he says. "Believe me, I am working on it as best as I can. Certainly helps that I have some decent negative examples in recent history to compare myself against."

"I think I'll let you two get to it then," you say. "I have a room to get settled in."

With nods of affirmation from them, you head on your own way to get to your own room and get things prepared.

* * *

[ **o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg)

* * *

Your name is Argo Lalonde, and you're busy folding laundry in the privacy of your room when the Wraith Radio left to you, Jade, and John by that Wraith called "TODD" suddenly crackles to life.

_"Sheppard,"_ The familiar voice of that one particular Wraith growls over the line. _"We must speak regarding a recent development in the Wraith-Replicator War that I feel may jeopardize both of our plans."_

"Aw, crap," you swear. "Why now?"

* * *

"Sooo..." Your name is Roxy Lalonde, and AR-1 got met by a welcoming party right out of the Gate on Vadeena_na-nana-fo-bana. BA NAAAA NAAAH!_ (Okay, the name isn't actually that, it's just "Vadeena" but so what? You saw a punportunity and took it!) "Welcoming party, huh?"

"Yes," the woman, Linara, says with a nod as she leads you down the road from the Gate to the Village. "Davos saw your arrival, and we were tasked with awaiting for your arrival."

"Not the first time we've encountered Seers," John says. "Heck, one of my wife's adoptive older siblings married a Seer!"

"How amazing!" Linara smiles. "Unfortunately some of us have only recently begun to share in the gift after the Great Rift opened in the heavens between Galaxies. Those of us are training hard to begin to even comprehend the things we see."

"Davos saw the Rift opening as well?" Teyla asks.

"Yes, he sees a great many things all of which have come to pass in some way or another," Linara grows a bit sad, "Including illness and death." She glances back at your group, and says, seriously, "Before I take you to see him, please know, he foresees that he will soon be laid out in bed, edging on death's door. Our healers have done all that they can, but they do not see what is wrong with him. If you truly come from the city of the Ancestors..."

"We might be able to help," John smiles.

"Oh, we would forever be in your debt if you could," Linara sighs in relief.

"He must be very important to you," Teyla says.

"We owe him our lives," Linara says, "Less than a year ago, he had a vision that said many Wraith would come here. We had enough warning to gather our provisions and escape deep to the caves below. Even from there, we could hear their ships searching, but none of our people were taken. The Wraith have never returned, assuming that we were already culled."

"Impressive," Ronon says.

"Of course, for me, it's much more than that. Davos is my father."

"Ah," you nod. "Yeah, that tracks."

Soon, you arrive in the village, and head towards a large tent. There, inside, the elderly man Davos sits in a throne-chair made out of branches.

"Father, the people of Atlantis are here to see you!" Linara introduces.

"Yes, yes," The man grins. "Come in. I've been expecting you! And I know why you're here!" He then eyes John, and says, "Come, John Sheppard. I have a Vision to share with you."

"You can share visions?" John asks, approaching lightly. "That's a new one on us."

Davos smiles, and offers his hand. "Then let me enlighten you."

John takes the man's hand, and a moment later, gasps as he retracts it. "Well! That was different!"

"What'd you see?" You ask.

"Argo Slapping a Wraith across his smug face," John answers, cracking quite a large grin.

* * *

Your name is Tyzias Entykk, and AR-2, escorting Argo Lalonde, has just arrived via cloaked puddle jumper at a set of ruins propositioned as "Neutral Ground" by the Wraith known as "Todd."

He was surprisingly straight forwards for a Wraith. Once the communication had been set up between him and Jolinar, he'd come forwards stating that he was traveling alone with a small contingent of Wraith chasing him on the orders of some OTHER Wraith who wanted him dead.

Why?

Because Todd had gone and stolen a Virus that the Wraith had used to shut off the Replicators once before that now was nolonger working. That Wraith was mad.

Todd wanted Atlantis' help both in using the Virus against the Replicators AND getting rid of the Wraith he'd stolen from.

And so...

A wraith comes running of of some old ruins of some long since culled settlement, grinning despite the Wraith shooting at him from behind.

"There's our 'friend,'" Argo says, peering from cover as stunner blasts rush past in the air beneath you all.

"That's Todd, huh?" Keiko muses. "I'll try not to hit him."

And then, with a whirl of the Jumper decloaking, a drone fires off.

_ **PCHOOOO....** _

_ **BLAWM!** _

The Wraith mooks chasing after your mark get blown to pieces, and Todd stumbles to a halt in his run, gazing back to peer at the Wraith who just got exploded, and he laughs.

"NICE AIMING!" He then calls up at the Jumper.

Keiko lands you a moment later, and you all brace yourselves, Zats ad P-90s raised, as you trigger the door mechanism.

With the whining keen of the motors working, the Ramp lowers, and the Wraith known as Todd stands clear of it, gloved hands held in the air in 'surrender' as he grins.

"Well, I must say, I wasn't expecting such a dramatic rescue, Miss Lalonde," Todd quips. "I Suppose Sheppard is off doing his hero thing elsewhere, hm?"

"Whatever, Todd," Argo decaptchalogues a pair of handcuffs. "You gonna hold up your end of the bargain or what?"

Todd smirks, and outstretches his hands, palms down. Like he needs to do that with the gloves. "Just as long as you have a hearty supply of Rats on hand for me to snack on, I will gladly submit to the terms we discussed over the Radio."

Once the Wraith is securely handcuffed, Argo slaps him across the face. 

"OW!" Todd hisses. "What was that for!?" 

"I know you can read my mind, but for the record: I don't go by 'Miss' anymore," Argo clarifies. 

"...Fine," Todd chuckles."I suppose I deserved that, didn't I?"

"Yes, yes you did," Argo nods firmly.

...You look to Daraya, and Mallek, then to Keiko. All of you share this same look of utter confusion.

This is one weird Wraith.

* * *

"As far as I can tell, he's showing early stages of some form of Cancer, I'd guess Lymphatic, but I can't be more certain until we get him back to Atlantis," your name is Doctor Keller, and you give the grim report to Jolinar, the new leader of the Atlantis expedition, over the radio.

AR-1 had called you in to get an opinion on the psychic man, Davos's, condition, and honestly, your only real course of action is, "I don't have the equipment to check for sure here or take care of it properly, if I can ID it. I'd have to bring him back to Atlantis for that."

_**"Alright,"** _Jolinar answers. _**"I'll have the infirmary prepped and ready for your arrival."**_

You nod. "Roger that. Keller. out."

** _"Atlantis, out."_ **

You turn to AR-1. "Alright. Let's get Davos ready to go see the City."

* * *

You are John Sheppard, and you enter the Atlantis Brig, where Todd sits lounging on a chair inside the room, holding a squirming rat idly in his gloved hands.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with your food?" You ask.

Todd smirks, and glances up at you. "Oh, the women in my life taught me many things, John Sheppard. One of those things was to take my punches when I deserved them. Your_** Partner**_," He pauses to chuckle, "has Quite the strong arm."

"So," you begin, choosing to ignore that statement beyond a faint smile. "What did you want to talk about?"

"As I discussed previously, there would come a time I would call upon you," Todd scowls. "Unfortunately, the situation with my people has not gone how any of us would wish. The war with the enemy you call 'Replicators' is one we've fought before. One we cannot fight now the same way we did before."

"You mentioned something about a virus?" you ask.

"Yes," Todd muses, focusing on the rat as he transfers it from hand to hand. "We had a weapon. A virus that was designed to reset the Replicator's programming, causing them to stand down and return to their planet. At present, it does not work. And while I am as keen on letting the idiots of my race die to the Replicator's weapons as much as you are..." He holds the rat up to his eyes, and gazes at the tiny thing's head. "Unfortunately, the Replicators have changed tactics as of the other day."

"How exactly have they changed tactics?" you ask.

"They've stopped assaulting Wraith ships. Instead, they've gone after their food sources instead." Todd looks away from the rat, and gazes at your eyes instead. 

You can feel the faint brush of his thoughts against your own for a moment, and he then pulls out a few Gate Addresss, in the form of their numerical listings that you'd memorized and left lying around inside your head somewhere. But one world in particular stands out:

M5S-767. You know that world. You visited it last year. It was a thriving pre-industrial society.

"Check that world," he says. "And when you've seen what the Replicators have done for yourself, you will agree with me that we must find a way to make the old Virus work again."

"Alright," you say.

And so, you go to the Gate Room, order a MALP sent through...

And what you see is nothing but burnt wreckage and smoldering ruins, and the MALP feeds back radiation signatures consistent with Asuran Weapons Fire.

No life signs.

Woolsey, hanging around for some reason, asked how many people were on that planet.

The estimate of between fifty and seventy-five thousand made the man grow pale with shock and horror.

You just feel a bit sad and angry as you check out the other addresses...

Two more worlds confirmed hit and destroyed. An estimate of combined death now lies around a hundred and fifty thousand.

The Replicators have started going too far this time.

Whoever gave them the ability to change their source code had better hope they were already dead, otherwise you'd be ripping them a new hole straight through their rib cage with a concentrated wind drill.

* * *

Your name is Doctor Janet Fraiser, and you gaze at the scanner results as Keller runs tests on the man, Davos.

"His brain scans show incredibly high synaptic energy usage," you observe. "I've never seen anything like this from psychic powers before."

"We've also never had a Seer who can show people their visions before," Keller reminds you. "Everyone we know just sees it, and experiences it for themselves. This is different, and it's from long before the Rift began putting Zillyum into the environment. This is a one in a million shot in the dark of genetic evolution."

"Ka'turnal would have been jealous," you muse. 

"Who?" Keller asks.

"Just, a Goa'uld scientist I used to work with," you shake your head. "Geneticist, really. She used to work in fields of artificially advancing human evolution... Once, her apprentice used a version of that Gene Sequencer we have in storage to give people psychic abilities- unstable ones, but fairly impressive abilities, all in all. All that random guessing and illegal experimentation, and here we are with a similar power evolving out of pure chance before Zillyum even got involved."

"That's something alright," you muse.

"As for the rest of the results..." Keller looks it over, deeper in the body. "There's definitely cancer in the body. But... I'm not sure we can operate without dealing worse damage."

"Agreed," you look over the results, sighing. "Options?"

"If we had Shaper still, or if Kanaya had any fine control over the healing aura she's started developing, we could probably flush it out of his system," Keller says. "As it is, I'm tempted to ask Minori to come in before her shift and cast a high magnitude healing spell and pray it doesn't make it worse."

"Have her come in early and see if she's had any experiences with this," you say. "If she can't make it work, I have an idea."

"What kind of idea?" Keller asks.

"It's risky," you say. "But... either we make a drug for it akin to the Wraith-Human Retro Virus or ATA Gene Therapy- or we use the Gene Sequencer to do it directly- but the end result is us modifying his white blood cells to attack the cancer cells, treating them as an infection rather than as internal cells to be ignored."

"Can we even do something like that?" Keller asks, staring at you like you just proposed you douse yourself with a concentrated dose of Zillyum and grow wings.

"In theory? There's been talk about it in some medical journals back on Earth," you say. "Clinical Trials on live Human subjects would be decades off normally, but if we can prove the concept here, we might just be able to advance human medical science without having to rely on Alien Technology for dealing with Cancer." 

* * *

"Knock Knock!" Your name is Roxy Lalonde, and you grin as you knock on the door to Callie's room. 

A moment later, the door opens, and Callie smiles at you. "Roxy! You're back!"

"Yep! Ready for a tour of the City?" You ask.

"Mmmmh... Maybe later," Callie then grabs you by the shoulder and drags you into her room. "I want to make up for lost time first!" She gives you a very nice kiss on the lips for a few seconds and smiles. "If that's alright?"

"I can get behind that," you answer, swooshing a hand to close the door behind you.

* * *

"So..." Your name is Samantha Carter, and you gaze at the gathered AR-1 and AR-2 before you, Argo stands in Mckay's vacant spot of AR-1, and Woolsey is off at Argo's desk writing his own reports at a furious pace. "Let's summarize the horrors of today, shall we?"

"Four worlds confirmed gone," Tyzias spoke. "Untold numbers of innocent people are dead to starve the Wraith out."

"The IOA's probably going to leave us holding the bag while they 'deliberate,'" Argo says, "no offense, Woolsey."

"None taken," the man doesn't even look up from his work.

"My people are confirmed in Ford's hands," Teyla says. "Davos showed me a vision earlier of their survival, though I could not see what planet they were on."

"We've got a walking security leak of a Wraith locked up in cold storage," John says. "We're going to have to change passwords on everything once we get rid of him, whenever that might be."

"And that's considering the fact that Todd came through with more than he said he did," Keiko remarks. "I looked over the source code on the data drive he brought with him and, it's not just the Wraith Virus. It's also the original Replicator Source Code AND what he assures us is the current version uplifted from a Replicator the Wraith managed to kidnap."

"I asked Boldir," Daraya says. "She read his mind. Apparently Todd didn't even know he'd gotten away with that much. He literally stole the whole computer drive and ran."

"No wonder that other Wraith wanted him dead," Mallek scoffs.

"I also talked with Davos and he showed me a vision too," you say. "Replicator ships blasting Atlantis to pieces. Except, here's the weird thing. I Saw Elizabeth Weir running around trying to escape the carnage."

After a moment, Jolinar nudges, and then speaks. **"So. I think I speak for all of us when I say, We have to actually work with the Wraith to stop the Replicators, as much as we hate that idea."**

"Todd's the least objectionable Wraith I've ever met," John says. "Aside from... weird remarks that earn him a slap on the face, I mean." he smiles at Argo, who grins right back. "I mean, the guy wears gloves unless he's actively feeding on Rats of all things. It's like he's trying to make himself as non offensive as he can."

"He's a strange one, but atleast he's made it clear he wants to use us as much as he expects we want to use him for resources," Keiko says. "But the code he gave us is legitimate. It'll take us god knows how long to work through on our own, though. He knows his work, though. If we absolutely have to, we can use him."

"Quid Pro Quo, basically," Woolsey mutters, still not looking up.

"The Replicators have gone way too far," Ronon says. "The Wraith atleast kill for food, as horrible as that is and how they go about it. And in the end, that wraith wants to turn his people into humans to put an end to that too. He's the lesser of two evils, here."

"I think we should get Rodney in on this," Mallek says. "We might need his help on the coding."

You feel your head nod at Jolinar's behest. **"Of course, I'll see to it that he's alerted to the situation."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: MINISODE: FLASHBACK: Trials of Faith
> 
> \---
> 
> The chapter I'm currently writing is giving me a bit of a hard time. But I'm just a major sequence and a few ending scenes away from finishing it. >_>; But once it's done, I'll have hit the mid season break for Stargate Atlantis Season 4!


	17. MINISODE: FLASHBACK: Trials of Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter is Dedicated to all those brave Explorers and friends of the D'ni Restorations who have died in the past and all too recently. Peace to you, movers of the Least and daring Explorers who have moved on to new adventures, and may they be forever bright. 
> 
> Shorah b’shemtee.

Unknown to Yeesha, a boat arrived in New York Harbor, carrying within it a Stargate that had been besieged. And yet, it's safe arrival lifted a great weight off of her shoulders. 

She exhaled, finding herself relieved for reasons she could not understand.

Perhaps she never would.

That other future she had seen so long ago felt like a distant nightmare, now. 

Waver had been right, someone had averted the course of time.

And thus, it was with a cleared heart that she stood up from where she meditated, and began striding with purpose towards the Bubble in K'veer.

The Tablet resided within its lock, glowing phantasmally blue. Behind her, she felt the eyes of the Bahro- the Least- observing her. Behind her, she felt the eyes of the spirit of her fallen mentor observing as she reached out for the Tablet.

She reached... she reached...

Her hand brushed against the fogy outline of blue smoke, and felt solid stone.

Immediately, the Tablet PULSED with energy- _**[ARE YOU WORTHY?]**_

And in that moment, Yeesha's memories rushed through her- the thoughts of everything that had lead her to this point- her desire to free the Least from their imprisonment high among it.

_ **[ACCEPTANCE.]** _

The Tablet Responded well, and Yeesha found herself forcibly repulsed through the bubble, landing on the ground as the spirit of her mentor appeared before her.

"Yeesha," the spectral, wisened ghost of a D'ni Master Writer began to speak, with a tone of voice and appearance drawn straight from her memories of the man at his greatest. "Listen Closely, for you will not hear these words again..."

She swallowed. 

"The Tablet has Responded to you. As we thought it might," Calam spoke. "Though my time has passed, our burden, our curiosity- this Duty has now fully fallen to you."

And Yeesha could feel the weight of it on her shoulders, replacing that uncertainty of the future.

"The Tablet Has Responded to You. Choose Wisely, in the end, for there is no second chance." Calam grimaced. "Many have taken this Tablet, and they refused to let go. The power of the Writing in such a condensed form can seduce even a noble heart. Should you let your heart grow corrupt even for a moment, it will fall from your grasp."

She nodded. Yeesha knew she would not waver for even a moment!!

"Perhaps, you will finally see how to release them," the spirit advised. "First, Collect what has been scattered, and then the Tablet will be released. Then, you will own it. You will find in each Age Help and Hindrance. You will start this Journey where you have already started, retracing your steps, and you will end this Journey here." His eyes grew weary, and his tone begging, "The Tablet will be released, and it will be Yours, but in the end, Yeesha, above all else, you must remember!_ DO NOT GIVE IT TO THAT MADMAN!!"_

Yeesha swallowed. Madman? What madman?

"What you still do not understand, you either failed to hear or do not need to know," the specter of Calam swallowed his pride, and looked to Yeesha, "Now... My dear Apprentice..." He outstretches a hand... "Begin!"

And Yeesha was linked away.

** _VVVRRRRMMMMMSSSSSHHsshhhshh...._ **

She assumed she would be victorious...

We viewing from the future, however, know otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: SGA:04X09: Miller's Crossing  
\---  
Here we see Yeesha begin her ultimately failed attempt to take the Tablet and Free the Bahro. 
> 
> Calam is the canonical name of the D'ni Master Writer who Yeesha trained under... and the name of the man who died. It's not stated when, exactly, but I am placing his death before Yeesha attempts to take the Tablet in this timeline. 
> 
> ...Do you know how weird it is to be asked if you set your online username up to reference that character? Because I'm just gonna state it here for the reccord, my name has as little to do with D'ni Writer Calam as it does with Dirk's Puppet L'il Cal. Sometimes these coincidences just happen.


	18. SGA:04X09: Miller's Crossing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a brick finally lands, and it's no joke.

**o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o**

* * *

**EARTH DATE: JANUARY 13TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 07/23/0006.**

Your name is Cameron Mitchel, and you and Mordred stand at the base of the SGC ramp along with NID Agent Malcom Barrett. Atlantis' Midway Quarrantine Protocol is still in effect, even if it's been cut down to a few hours to run a blood test in cases of emergency.

Which this is.

The Stargate begins dialing in right as your watch alarm sounds off.

_WAA WAA- KAWOOSH!_ The vortex splashes out, stabilizes, and then a moment later, Rodney Mckay steps through the gate.

"Gentlemen, I'm Agent Barret from the NID-" Barret begins, but...

"How soon can we get to Vancouver?" Mckay interject before Barrett can even speak another word.

"The Odyssey is in orbit, so it'll be a quick trip," You say, motioning for the exit to the Gate Room.

"Have you learned any new information yet?" Mckay asks.

"No, not yet," Barrett says. "The NID is liasing with CSIS on the ground. They're expecting us."

"C-what?" Mordred asks you in a harsh whisper.

"Canadian Security Intelligence Services," You explain. "They're basically Canada's CIA."

"Ah," Mordred nods.

* * *

It doesn't take long for your team to get changed, and beam across the continent to another country. What does take a bit longer is the car ride specifically to the Miller home.

As the NID is taking point on this for the US side of things, you're all playing dressup in NID stock black suits. 

Still, the car ride gives some time to decompress for Mckay.

"So, uh," which he promptly uses to distract himself. "Just you two? Where's the rest of SG-1?"

"Jonas and Vala are helping Jaffa and Tok'ra with library stuff all this month," Mordred explains. "And Jude and Cassie-"

"Jude twisted his angle going out to shovel snow a couple days ago," you explain from there. "So he and Cassie are sitting it out."

"Ah, Snow Shoveling," Mckay grimaces. "The one thing I've not missed, living off world."

You arrive at the Miller Residence a few minutes after that, to a snow covered yard, which was very heavily messed up by foot traffic stomping through it.

You head inside through an already cleared path, and Mckay immediately goes to check on his Sister's husband and kids while Agent Barrett goes to check up on the forensics team's progress.

Needless to say, you and Rider quickly get the job of holding the kids attention while Mckay and Mister Miller go into the kitchen to talk privately.

...It's not so private because it's literally a room over and you can hear them talking just fine at this distance no matter how hushed Mister Miller thinks he's speaking.

"Who Did This?"

"That's what we're here to find out."

"Y-you know! When she got that video from you and wanted to 'reforge that family bond' I told her go for it! Because she'd regret it! But I knew. I told her that getting involved with someone as public facing as you in the Atlantis Expedition was going to be Dangerous! And you- you two have just been sending emails so casually about shit and-" The husband's voice has been ramping up so very very loudly and quickly. "This is Your Fault, Rodney!!"

And there's a shout that rattles the house.

Literally, you feel the vibrations through your bones.

Mordred shoots you one of his 'Ah, Crap, Zillyium Powers again' glances.

Yeah, those have been annoying when they crop up.

"Listen to me, we're going to fix this-"

"She got kidnapped because of you! To Get YOUR attention! Masked men with GUNS broke into our house and left a NOTE calling YOU OUT!!!"

Then, you hear a loud flare of a force shield, followed by a sharp "OW!" and some muttered whimpering.

"Now that you've gotten That out of your system," Mckay says, "Are you feeling better, Kaleb?"

"...Little bit."

"Then listen to me," Mckay says, "We're going to find her and bring her home and I'm not going to give whoever took her the time of day for whatever they want me for, Kaleb. I can promise you that much. I'm bringing her home."

"You do that," the husband pleads. "I can't do this without her."

A few minutes later, Mister Miller returns with a rather red looking right hand, and collects his kids and leaves.

Mckay says, "I told him to get a hotel. There's no point staying around here while we're working."

There's nods of agreement to that, and Barrett calls you all over to Jeanie Miller's computer area.

"So," Barrett begins. "We couldn't help but overhear you were corresponding by e-mail. Anything important there?"

"Maybe, i don't know," Mckay shakes his head. "We'd bounce ideas off of eachother sometimes, but it was never with context. Just... 'I have this math problem I can't quite crack, got any ideas?' between us. Honestly, most of the time we were just talking about our everyday lives. You know, family stuff." Mckay pauses, then says,

"But she's Smart. Jeanie. She's just as smart as I am. Some of the stuff she'd ask me to review has been... well, ground breaking to say the least."

"Was there anything recently that you'd talked about?" Barrett asks.

"...Maybe," Mckay frowns. "The last set of Emails we exchanged was me telling her that I was back in Atlantis, working on nanomachine coding they needed help on, and she said to-" he swallows. "To page her in if I needed help. I said 'if I get stuck, sure.' Then we said our goodnights and-"

Barrett interjects, "Wait, isn't there, like, a whole galaxy's span between Milky Way and Pegasus? How were you messaging back and forth rapid fire?"

"You'd be surprised what an alliance with the D'ni will get you these days," Mckay scoffs. "Apparently they upgraded the whole infrastructure with the new additions to the Atlantis Expedition, so now Atlantis is basically using D'ni tech to securely route contact from there to Earth when it comes to our Email servers. Apparently it saves on extra unnecessary Gate dials or something. Believe me, it caught me entirely off guard when Jeanie replied back within minutes of my message." 

"So, nanomachine coding," you start. "You were talking about that last night before she got taken. Right?"

"By a few hours?" Mckay muses. "Yeah. About that. Why? Do you think they took her because of the topic of nanomachines? How would they even-" He stopped. "Ohhhh. No."

"It's possible they have a tracing program on your Sister's Email," you agree. "It could be they were waiting for you to get back to our dimension after everything that happened."

"Ugh, first the IOA, now this?" Mckay shakes his head. "Damn it. I need to check her computer. Has anyone touched it?"

"No," Barrett shakes his head. "I told forensics you wanted to take a look at it first."

"Alright," Mckay moves to sit down at the table with the computer. "I'm going to need to take it apart. This could take awhile. A few hours, maybe longer." He looks to you and Mordred. "As much as I appreciate you two being here, maybe you could go investigate some other possible leads. Like, who'd have the interest in Nano Technology that can self-replicate."

Ah. Shit. Replicators. Right.

You nod. "Got it. Give us a call if you find anything."

"Will do."

* * *

Your name is Jeanie Miller, and you find yourself placed in a chair in total darkness.

Well, not total darkness. You can see light piercing through the threads of the bag over your face.

Then- YOINK! The Bag gets pulled off of your face.

"Ow-" you wince at the light, and then take status of your surroundings as a door closes behind you.

You're in some kind of computer lab. There's a large terminal in the center of the room, triangular in shape. And there are monitors everywhere and-

"Hello."

You whirl around, and see a man step out of the shadows- literally. His form is a flickering shadow stepping out of another shadow, and then he becomes a man. Just a man, in a business suit. 

He's holding a knife.

You step backwards very rapidly, and your back hits a wall.

"No! Wait! Please! Whatever it is you want-!" You start to try to talk, but the man just smiles apologetically and holds up his hands, appeasing.

"Ahh! Sorry. It'll be all right. Just. Let me free your hands."

...Your hands that are bound. Okay. Sure.

You hesitantly offer your hands, and he cuts the ziptie holding them together.

"Who are you?" You ask.

"My name is Henry Wallace. I'm sorry to have... Listen, I need you and your brother to help me. There is some work that needs to be done."

* * *

Your name is Mordred, and you sit anxiously in the passenger seat of the car as Mitchel drives to the location that Mckay finally called in with- a traced IP Address to a warehouse for a tracking program hidden in the email app.

Unfortunately, you don't need Casandra's foresight to tell it's a trap.

...And unfortunately, you don't need Jude's smarts to tell that the trap got sprung when you and Mitchel pull up to a warehouse to see Barrett knocked out on the ground near his SUV with no sign of Mckay anywhere.

...The fact that his Subcutaneous Transponder was shut down shortly after being taken and negated your ability to track him was just icing on the cake.

* * *

**EARTH DATE: JANUARY 14TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 07/24/0006.**

You are Rodney Mckay, and a small part of you can't believe you let yourself get captured like this.

The rest of you is just relieved to see your sister when the bag is taken off of your head- so much so you barely even pay attention to your hands being freed and the men who took you closing the door behind you.

"Rodney!" Jeanie says as you both move to hug eachother. 

"Thank god you're alive, Jeanie," you feel a strange sense of relief, knowing she's okay.

"What are you doing here?" She asks once the hug ends and you're both checking eachother over for injuries.

"I came back to earth as soon as I got the message you'd been taken," you explain.

"Did you see Kaleb and the kids?"

"Yeah, they're fine. Uh, Kaleb tried to punch me but they're okay. I have a security detail on them." You explain.

"Okay, ignoring the fact that my husband, the kindest man in the world, would punch you," Jeanie rolls her eyes for a moment. "How did you get caught?"

"Let myself get ambushed trying to track down the guys who took you," You explain.

"Really?" Jeanie rolls her eyes yet again. "Well, that's a huge relief."

"Hey, I hear that sarcasm," you say. "They wanted me here. They left a note calling me out! What else was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know, not give them whatever they want?" Jeanie huffs. "Look, they were monitoring my emails, right?"

"Yeah," you nod. "So?"

"So, would I be here right now if we hadn't been talking about what we were just talking about last night?"

"Yes, actually," interrupts a new voice, and you jump at the intrusion.

This man just fucking teleported out of a shadow on the wall! What the fuck!?

"I will admit it was... fortuitous that you were taken right when you were, given the work you just were about to start on," the man says, starting to pace the room. Jeanie looks annoyed with the man already. Your captor, you presume. "However, the timing is mere coincidence. I have been planning this since I heard about the IOA's misguided attempt at using you as a bargaining chip, Doctor Mckay."

"...Oh Come On!" you growl. "So it's coming back to THAT?"

"Yes, it is," the man smiles. "And, as an aside, if you're waiting for a hundred strapping marines to bust down the door, no, you're not getting that. We disabled your subcutaneous transmitter."

Wait what? How the fuck did they know how to do that?

There's only one company who-

"I'm Henry Wallace, I'm the president of-"

"DMT, great," you hang your head in dismay. 

Shit.

"You know who I am, then?" Henry Wallace asks.

"Yeah," you snap a glare at the man. "I'm familiar with your work."

"What's DMT?" Jeanie asks.

"Devlin Medical Technologies. They're predominantly a government-funded contracter, and, unfortunately for us, they manufacture the subcutaneous transmitters we use for beaming."

"Oh, Great," Jeanie laments.

Yeah. Great.

"So, you've done your research," you scowl. "Why me? What do you POSSIBLY need me for?"

"You?" Henry Wallace smiles, grimly. "Originally, yes, we did need you. But as we studied the emails between you and your sister, both recent and older, we realized we didn't really... Need you, specifically. it's a nice bonus, to be sure, but... Your sister can do just as fine work as you can."

"Well obviously," you say. "But WHY am I now suddenly a Bonus if you wanted me to begin with?"

"As you know, my company is given limited access to alien technology acquired through the Stargate Program and is asked to integrate it with Earth based technology." Henry Wallace says. "You might be familiar with-" A shadow suddenly forms from beneath his jacket sleeve, extending into his hand as he offers you what is suddenly revealed to be a photograph of Kanaya Maryam- or rather, a familiar crystal embedded on her forehead. "Shaper, I believe it's called?"

...Fucking hell.

"Shaper's Broke. And besides-" you don't get further than that.

"Oh, I know what happened on Atlantis," Henry Wallace says, eyes gleaming. "And I know that the Asgard have been making their own versions of this Crystal, with ALL of the fancy powers included, for quite some time to cure their own medical issues. However... we here at DMT have been tasked with making One Shot versions for our own medical market. And that's where we've hit a wall and need some help."

He snaps his fingers, and a guard opens the door from outside.

You and Jeanie are lead to a medical wing in the building, and then to a specific patient's room. 

A Young girl, age edging into her teens, lay on a bed, silent, unmoving...

And half of her visible skin is covered in silver.

Wallace speaks, quietly, "You see, we're still working on Shaper One Shots. But, in the mean time, my team researched... alternate abilities. Corinth City's recent epidemic of Nanomachines infecting people was... quite a surprise. Some of my men were able to retrieve a sample, bring it back, and we began manufacturing and prototyping incase the Shaper Project fell through."

"Who is she?" Jeanie asks of the girl.

"My daughter, Sharon."

You look to the man. "What's wrong with her?"

"At first, nothing. But you see a few months back my wife triggered in her powers, and we had a car accident. Sharon and I survived, but my Wife didn't. The Doctors discovered she had lymphocytic leukemia. Another few years, it would be too late. We've done everything we could to try and save her life, but she's been highly unresponsive to various treatments... the only thing they did was cause her to manifest powers as well, and suddenly, her body refused ALL of the treatments, and nothing was working at all. She got worse, rapidly, and... I had to act."

"So you injected her with Replicator Nanites," you stare at the man, suddenly realizing what was going on here.

"Yes," Wallace nods. "We injected Sharon with the first batch of Nanites about three days ago. This... silver skin... rapidly began forming and has progressed ever since, a response from her powers, we think."

"You injected her with a first batch of nanites!? You'd barely have manufacturing perfected, let alone coding!" you tell him. "There's no way they were ready!"

"We Know. My team thought we'd ironed out most of the coding."

"Ironed Out!?" You stare at the man. "It's not that easy! I've barely had a few HOURS to familiarize myself with the code! Tyzias has meddled with it more than I have!"

"Yes, I KNOW," The man turns to you, his body flickering in shadow for a moment. "...The Nanites are Malfunctioning."

"Of course they are," you growl.

"And it's that they're not working, they're making things worse. They're causing more problems than the cancer or her powers. Sharon's natural body is flat out rejecting them! When I saw your correspondence with Jeanie that you were back in Atlantis, I realized this was my only chance and I pulled the trigger now. It was only after I'd gotten her hear that I'd read the messages further and realized you'd been brought back to work on this very problem! That's when I looked further back and..."

"So... I was bait until you realized I could help with the problem," Jeanie summarizes.

"Exactly," Wallace nods. "Look. if you two don't do something quickly, Sharon's going to Die. Get the nanites fully operational, and I'll let you both go."

"Really?" You're skeptical to say the least.

"Absolutely," Wallace nods.

"And what if we don't?" you ask.

That's when Wallace suddenly shadow teleports behind Jeanie and has an injector pressed up against her neck.

There's a faint whoosh of air from the Injector before either you or Jeanie can realize what's happened.

"That's where the leverage actually comes into play," Wallace finishes, a grim smile. "Save my daughter, save your sister's life."

"You fucking Bastard!" You snarl.

He injected her with nanites!!!

* * *

Hours of work later that might as well be the next day by the time you actually get a chance to check a clock, and you and your Sister have managed to isolate the problems in the coding.

FIXING IT, on the other hand...

"They made it so the nanomachines aren't communicating," Jeanie started. "That's what causing all the problems. They're going after some cells redundantly. They're ignoring others. They've caused at least three partially clogged arteries... Something in their coding is stopping them from understanding each other."

After you looked into it, you came across the cause.

"Yeah, looks like they're not doing a lot of things they should be doing, in fact," you realize. "Even though DMT manufactured their own nanites? The coding, the programming? Most of it's lifted directly from the Replicators. So it looks like they wrote a lot of code to Restrain the Replicator Code, to, specifically, make sure they don't get out of control. But they went overboard to the point-"

"That they're completely ineffective," Jeanie finishes.

"Exactly. It's like they tied their hands behind their backs," you nod. 

"So we fix what, two, three thousand lines of code and make it work?"

"Sure..." You scowl. "Except, there's the problem of Sharon's powers. The interactions have caused the nanites to Replicate when by all the programming and physical modifications done to them, they shouldn't be doing that."

"So the question is why," Jeanie frowns.

"We know the dad got shadow teleporting," you muse. "What did the wife get?"

"Umm..." Jeanie sweeps through some documentation. "It looks like the car accident was the result of the vehicle being in two places at the same time, trying to avoid crashing into an out of control Semi-trailer. Except when the driver- the wife- brought the vehicles back together she couldn't reconcile her suddenly changed perspectives enough and the car crashed into a tree."

"Evade one accident, get into another," you summarize. "So, Teleporting, Duplication... When did the Husband gain his powers?"

"...Looks like in the aftermath of the initial accident as well," Jeanie reports. "It's thanks to his powers that Henry and his daughter got out of the car."

"Survival," you snap your fingers. "That's what the common theme is here. Sharon's powers kicked in to stop the various medical treatments from causing her any harm. It made her immune to them."

"And what does it gain by making her sicker?" Jeanie asks. "Or for that matter, why are the Replicator Nanites replicating?"

"It's the old adage, 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger,' except twisted, somehow," you frown. "...The powers unchained the Nanites so they could replicate, spread, and do what they should do, but it didn't unchain them in ways that was beneficial."

"Are you trying to say her powers are trying to Kill her?" Jeanie asks.

"By way of making her Immune to to everything that does," you say. "Think about it, the sudden acceleration of her original symptoms, the sudden spread of the nannites onto her surface level. Her powers are flooding her body with everything that tries to kill her so that it can bring her back stronger, better."

"You're assuming a lot for a metaphysical power born from magic particles out of a space-time rift, Rodney," Jeanie says.

"I can literally make energy shields based off of Ancient Technology that, if properly modulated, can disrupt the connection between nanites," you say. "Ronon can empower any weapon he touches to deliver an explosive blast that's identical to the power that comes from his Travelers Grade Particle Magnumn. John can literally control the wind, turn into it, and reform with a thought. Teyla can make fire with a snap of her fingers, but she never burns herself or anything she doesn't want to. That's just my team!"

_"So??"_ Jeanie asks, sounding uncertain of everything.

"So I haven't seen a power yet that's manifested in a way that's Detrimentail to the person who's gained those powers," you say. "I've *tried* manipulating my energy fields to make a fish dust like a replicator and I've never been able to manage it. I think there's some inherent... Limit that these powers have. Balances them. Keeps them from being too over powered. And for as much as we JOKE that Jade's power is a Nuclear Shotgun? I've run tests. The amount of radiation that comes from most of her explosive feats are as low level as a block of C-4 even if they're a thousand times more destructive."

"So you're saying that we should just let the nanites kill her??" Jeanie asks.

"No! Of course not!" You say. "We have to fix them because we have to save you." You shake your head. "Look, if we can fix this coding and unchain the Nanites properly, then we don't risk turning her into a human form Replicator that I could probably disintegrate if we did things wrong. Because if her power works exactly how I think it does, then her powers will kick in and Kill the Nanites for us the moment we unchain them, purging them from her system."

"And then she dies to the Cancer," Jeanie says, scowling.

"Or becomes Immune to it!" You counter. "Look. My point is, her Powers are an added variable we HAVE to consider in all of this. We just have to make them work long enough for us to get you out of here so we can actually deal with them properly."

Jeanie considers it. "Alright."

You two get back to work. More time passes. By the time you check the clock, it actually is the next day.

**EARTH DATE: JANUARY 15TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 07/25/0006.**

You roll your shoulders, taking a break.

"Jeanie? Look, I'm... I'm, really sorry about this," you say. "All of this."

"I really don't want to talk about it right now, okay?" she counters. "We need to fix this code and upload it to my nanites. I'll yell at you later."

"...Alright," you sigh, hanging your head.

It doesn't take too much longer for you to finish the new restriction coding, and upload it into Jeanie's nanites. 

...And immediately, they stop doing the crazy, non communicative shit that they were doing inside her system and begin going to work fixing the damage they were causing. No replication, either.

"...That's an encouraging sign," Jeanie says, watching the test results feed back live on the screen infront of you. "...Just one concerning question."

"What's that?" You ask.

"What happens to me when they finish fixing the damage they caused?" Jeanie asks.

"Well, the Nanites should shut down entirely, as we programmed them to," you say. "...But if we're wrong about that, hopefully we'll get you to the SGC to fix this properly before all of this gets out of hand and we have to call in Todd to help, god forbid."

"Who's Todd?" Jeanie asks.

"The Wraith who brought us the latest version of the Replicator Source Code as well as a copy of the original," you explain. "Which, I might add, from what I've seen of what they're working with here at DMT? Is almost exactly what we're dealing with here except for one critical detail."

"And what's that?" Jeanie asks.

"Dimensional Variations being taken into consideration?" you crack a faint smile. "Corinth Timeline's Replicators still had the directive to attack the Wraith Disabled. I think I know what changes I need to make to make the Wraith Virus work again."

"If we get out of this."

"Obviously."

* * *

"We're going in circles here," You are Cameron Mitchel, and you run your hands through your hair, frustrated, as you, Mordred, and Barret take up all the space you can in a spare SGC conference room.

"It's not the Trust," Mordred agrees. "I've been through just about every link we could trace."

"Ba'al's been playing it safe, too, lately," you say. "He's been focused on the Galaxy, rather than Earth."

"...So maybe it's not Ba'al then, or anyone else that's a usual suspect then?" Mordred asks.

"What, like an Ally?" Barrett asks in turn.

"Have we looked into the IOA Rep who got jailed for blackmailing Mckay?" You ask, an idea clicking. "They were threatening his sister before, weren't they?"

"...Shit, that's a good point..." Barrett stands up. "I have to go make a call. Be right back."

And thus, he leaves you and Mordred alone with a pile of reports.

"...They had to know enough to shut down the transponders," Mordred mutters. "Medical company?" he starts piling through some other records. "Let's see...who's manufacturing our transponders..."

* * *

"It's been, what?" You are once again Rodney Mckay, and you pace around the lab. "A Few hours?"

"Something like that," Jeanie nods.

"So, what? No updates? I mean, I knew we were hostage and all of that," you say. "But it took us ten seconds to upload the updates into your nanites. What's taking them so long?"

"Well, it's probably going to take a while to figure out if our coding patch took effect, and is actually attacking the Cancer," Jeanie says. "Like you said, there's still her powers to keep in mind."

Before you can take that conversation further, you and Jeanie are summoned to the Medical wing.

You arrive in Sharon's room, watching as the Medics hover around the girl with the change of having startlingly completely silver skin lying on the bed.

The Nanomachines inside her must have replicated to full coverage.

Unsurprisingly, the heart monitor has gone and flatlined.

"What happened?" you ask of Henry Wallace.

He doesn't even look away as he explains, "The coding took effect and the Nannites went after the Cancer. And her heart. Her powers just... stopped doing anything but making the machines replicate. We've tried reviving her with the Defibrilators, but, then her powers started just absorbing the energy instead of restarting her heart..."

He goes silent.

"They stopped her heart?" Jeanie asks, hesitantly.

"Yes," Wallace nods. "She had a heart murmur, and... I don't know what to say. I knew this was a gamble given her powers, but..."

"Look," you start. "I don't know how to say this, but... Give it time. If her powers are still functioning even if her heart's stopped then... There's still hope."

Then, as if proving your words right.

Suddenly, the heart monitor starts beeping loudly as Sharon's heart starts again.

Then... the Silver suddenly just sort of rolls off of Sharon's body in a wave of liquid silver metal that pools onto the floor and rapidly dries into a familiar, disabled powder. 

Sharon Wallace suddenly gasps for air, and looks entirely fine afterwards.

"...What the hell?" Jeanie asks, staring.

"But... her heart stopped-" Henry Wallace stares on, shock covering his entire face.

"Survival," you elaborate. "What kills you makes you stronger."

"Dad?" the girl calls out- and Henry Wallace runs into the room.

Listening to the dad talk to his daughter, and hear them conversing fine and perfectly...

It's impossible.

You look to a Doctor and ask, "How long was she dead for before we arrived?"

"Five minutes," the woman answered.

...Fucking hell. Her brain should have suffered all kinds of damage in that time.... How...?

"It's like she's the Wolverine," Jeanie says. "...And I don't have that if the Nanites go after my epilepsy."

"And either they'll work on it while you're awake, or-" you swallow. "Or they'll shut your entire body down to work on it."

"I don't want to be shut down for repairs, Rodney!" Jeanie protested.

Once again, fate provided a solution.

Not a a few seconds later after Jeanie's exclamation did one of several highly trained SG-strike teams burst onto the DMT grounds via beaming into the building with a burst of light, appearing around you all with guns ready to fire at the slightest chance of assault.

What happens next at Devlin Medical Technology doesn't matter. You get Jeanie and yourself beamed back to the SGC, where you get to work...

* * *

"I've put Jeanie in a medically induced coma and I've broken her legs."

"You did what?" your name is Mordred, and you stare in shock at the man as he enters the isolation lab observation room where you, Mitchel, and Barrett are waiting.

"Look, it was a defensive measure to slow down the nanites," Mckay explains. "It'll buy us atleast ten hours, best case."

"Why not just... give her a cold or something?" Mitchel asks, looking a bit squeamish.

"Because I needed a severe and immediate trauma to attract the nanites," Mckay says. "Besides, I'd rather she have to deal with a few broken bones rather of a disease she has to fight alone if we can shut down the Nanites before they're done."

"Fair enough," you say.

"I assume we can't just keep breaking her bones forever?" Barrett asks.

"No," Mckay shakes his head. "I'm pretty certain that sooner or later, the nanites are going to abandon her broken bones and move to her brain, so we need to move fast."

"EMP is out?" Mitchel asks.

"Yeah, these Nanites were designed to be immune to EM fluctuations," Mckay shakes his head. "Idiots."

"So we have a little under ten hours at best guess to come up with a program to stop the Nanites from going after things they shouldn't," Barrett surmises.

"One shots, like DMT wanted to begin with," Mckay nods. "Ideally? Nanites that would then self-flush themselves out of the system after being done healing."

"So, what's the plan?" You ask.

"As embarrassing as it is, I can't do this alone," Mckay shakes his head. "I need Tyzias and the Wraith helping me out on this."

* * *

**EARTH DATE: JANUARY 16TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 07/26/0006.**

Your name is Tyzias Entykk, and you step through the gate into the SGC gate room with a laptop bag under arm, and a backpack full of live rats on your back.

Todd the Wraith comes through with his armed escort a few moments later, and he winces as if blinded.

"Has anyone ever told you before," Todd gripes to a guard, "that your planet is so very, VERY crowded? I can barely hear myself think, let alone parse any individual thoughts."

Which is almost exactly what Boldir told you would happen. No matter where Todd went in Pegasus, a planet's population never reached higher than a couple thousand, and that was still higher than the Limit Todd had found he could handle at any given time. It was like looking into a spotlight.

Earth?

Earth was like looking dead on into a STAR with a population count in the billions.

Todd was effectively blinded.

Still, that didn't stop the SGC for arranging for important people with classified info to take the day off.

The whole base was staffed by only people who needed to be here and those with the lowest tier clearance possible.

It doesn't take long for you to arrive at the lab in question where Mckay's reprogramming is being worked on, and it doesn't take too much longer than that to get you both up to speed.

"Interesting," Todd muses, peering over the base code DMT were using. "And you're sure that disabling the attack code still left them active in another dimension?"

"Given what data we were able to recover from the crashed City Ship," Mckay nods. "They were still going after the Wraith in that other timeline. Of course, there's also the possibility there was a dimensional jump involved as well. We have no way of knowing how divergent the origin timeline for this code even was."

"So... it was a fluke that shutting them down here did not result in the same?" Todd frowns. "Or... Perhaps those Replicators were simply in a position where they stood to lose more by standing down than ours were?"

"There's no real way of knowing for sure," you say. "And we probably won't ever, what with Corinth about to evacuate out of that dimension."

"An interesting idea, traveling dimensions," Todd muses. "Still, the Source Code here looks nearly identical save for the disabled attack code to what we had in our timeline. We should be able to work with this once we, heh, save your sister's life."

"Something funny?" Mckay asks.

"Just that I, a Wraith, am being tasked with preventing a human life from being extinguished," Todd smirks. "A miniature scale test of our goal for Pegasus as a whole, is it not?"

And so you get to work on solving the programming conundrum.

As you work, Todd occasionally speaks up, sharing ideas between the both of you as you're considering them, which streamlines the work flow considerably.

It's kind of annoying having your thoughts spoken by someone else before you can say them, that's for sure.

Hours later, as you're running a test simulation to see if the Code should work...

Todd muses, holding a rat in hand and casually just... draining it of life. Slowly, steadily, not at all at a rate that implies he's actually hungry. It's disconcerting how much it's more like he's sucking on a lollipop or something, really. "I believe we have a problem with our plan in Pegasus."

"How's that?" You ask.

"Well, we have to assume that there's a possibility the Replicators will continue attacking human worlds even without the attack code telling them to attack the Wraith," Todd says. "After all, they went after Atlantis twice once their restrictions were disabled, a third time if you count the time before that. It's entirely possible they may just have a grudge against humans and they're excusing their genocide by way of starving the Wraith."

"He's right," Mckay groans. "They intentionally killed the Ancients once they were able to, too. That had nothing to do with the Wraith. It was pure revenge, plain and simple."

"So, what?" You ask. "All of this could be for nothing?"

"Potentially," Todd grunts. "As much as I hate to say it, simply turning off the attack code won't be enough. We may have to improvise other restrictions. And if this simulation pans out... we may have just figured out a way to do just that."

The simulation comes back green. You run it again a few more times...

And they each come back green.

"I think that's good enough," Mckay says. "We'll upload them to Jeanie, and we'll see if she survives. And then..." he trails off.

"And then?" you ask.

"And then it's back to the drawing board," Todd chuckles, tightening his grip on the Rat and draining it dry in a snap of a second. 

The whole act was too much like chomping down on a lollipop for your liking.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you to not play with your food?" Mckay asks, looking disgusted.

"Yes. Colonel Sheppard asked me much the same thing not the other day!" Todd replies, sounding so very, very amused.

...Glubbing hell, this is so weird.

* * *

**EARTH DATE: JANUARY 17TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 07/27/0006.**

The next day, Jeanie Miller wakes up from the medically induced coma, the nanites having self-purged from her body after finishing healing her broken legs by way of forming as a silver ball on the back of her wrist, and then detaching harmlessly.

You are still Tyzias Entykk, and you hold the small silver ball of nanites in hand, eyeing it against a light, with a small dawning burst of inspiration.

Idly, you muse aloud...

"I wonder how hard it would be to get all of the Replicators in Pegasus to join together into one, neat, tidy, silver ball?

* * *

**EARTH DATE: JANUARY 20TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 07/30/0006.**

Your name is John Sheppard, and you look up from the comic book you were reading to Lizzy as there's a knock at your bedroom door. "Enter!"

The door whirls open, and in steps Rodney Mckay.

"Hey, Rodney," you put the comic down, much to Lizzy's fussy annoyance, and shift positions to hold your daughter a bit better in arm. "Welcome back. How's the family?"

"Good, good," Mckay smiles. "I bought 'em a Prius."

"A Prius, huh?" You ask.

"Jeanie wanted a Hybrid," Mckay answers.

"Ah, so sibling guilt, eh?" You ask.

"I did sort of get her kidnapped," Mckay shakes his head. "Also, ah, I heard that Henry Wallace got fired from DMT and is under house arrest. His daughter's doing fine, though. She probably would have been even without our help."

"Powers, am I right?" You ask.

"Yeah," Mckay nods.

"Book!" Lizzy demands. "Book!"

"Just a minute, sweetie," you say. "Lemme talk with Uncle Rodney for a bit, 'kay?"

Lizzy just pouts.

"Well, isn't she just a bundle of joy?" Mckay chuckles.

"She's at that age," you say. 

"Yeah," Mckay shakes his head. "Anyways. Uh. I can see you're busy here with daddy-daughter bonding time, so, I'll, ah, let you be? Just wanted to let you know I was back."

"Alright," you nod. "Good to have you back. We've missed you hear. Freeman's way too much of a jabber-mouth for my liking. And working with Roxy or Callie is just... weird, most days."

"What, are you saying I can't talk up a storm?" Mckay asks, feigning annoyance. "Because believe me, given the right prompting I will and can rant for hours on end without, well... an ending!"

"Oh, I know," you smirk. "But atleast you're talking to us and not at yourself, like Freeman."

"Ah, good point," Mckay snaps his fingers with a faint grin. 

_"Booook!"_ Lizzy protests again. _"Booooook!!!!!"_

"Alright, alright," Mckay holds up his hands. "I'll be out of your hair. Ah. Say hi to Jade or Argo if you see them before I do."

"Will do," you nod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Remember all that shit the IOA caused Rodney a while back? 
> 
> *Welp. Here's the Payoff!*
> 
> So. Yeah. 
> 
> This episode takes place over *SO* many days. Just another wonky aspect of this season's time progression. There was a lot of build up to this episode that I put in that wasn't there originally. I'd like to talk about it but I kinda feel like shattered glass at the moment and don't got it in me to talk r/n. That said, I did the interview w/ Jax Does Homestuck. We... talked for almost an hour and a half and that's a lot of time spent rambling. I'll be posting a link here as soon as the public version is available, which... should be tomorrow? Yeah. Tomorrow, looks like. 
> 
> I had a lot of fun recording it and talking about it. But bare in mind there'll probably be vague spoilers for what comes next. 
> 
> \---
> 
> Next Episode after that: MINISODE: FLASHBACK: She carried that Weight.


	19. INTERVIEW: JaxDoesHomestuck Fanstuck Podcast

The Interview I did is live!  
  
You can find it on  
  
[BUZZSPROUT](https://www.buzzsprout.com/235206/1902584-fanstuck-part-nine-calum-s-stargate-alternia)  
  
[SPOTIFY](https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Fmb3b8xH4sYrdMl2oaccw?si=KM87fAUeS_mblLYAMWEbxw)  
  
[iTUNES](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jax-does-homestuck/id1446665313)

And you can listen to it for free! Pick yer listening station of choice!


	20. MINISODE: FLASHBACK: She carried that Weight.

Years down the line, Waver Velvet, soon to be given the title of Lord El Melloi upon his 125th Birthday but still looking no older than his late 20s, paused as he entered his home office to a familiar sight that made him wonder if time was looping.

"Don't tell me you're lost in time again, Yeesha," he spoke to the woman slumped back in a different, yet similar office chair to the last one. 

"I'm not," she spoke so quietly he could barely hear it. "I failed, Waver."

"You failed?" Waver asked, closing the door behind him. 

"I had it in my hands!" She raises her arms, reaching for the ceiling. "I had the key to freeing them! Freeing the Least and-! And I Failed Them! I let its power seduce me and I held on too tight! I held on and I- I dropped it! It slipped through my grasp and I can't- I failed! I failed and I failed and I let my own damn Pride get in my way!"

Her arms fall downwards in just enough of a controlled angle and speed that the light smacking sound her palms made when hitting her skull as she covered her eyes was just barely enough to trigger a sigh rather than a wince. 

"I don't suppose you'll fill me in on who exactly you're talking about, and why you can't just try it again?" Waver asked.

_"There is no Second Chance,"_ Yeesha sounded like she was quoting someone, given the pained reverence in her voice. "I held all the power of the universe in my hand and I buckled under the weight. I carried it, trying to figure out how to use it to free them and I- I failed! I learned how the connections were made- but before I could learn how to undo it, I- I-" She sobs. "By the Maker, why couldn't I do it!? I'm supposed to be The Grower! Why couldn't I free them!?"

Waver sighed, and moved to sit down on a padded stool, another change to the room since the last time something like this happened.

"Maybe because this wasn't how you were supposed to do it," you offer. "Perhaps there are other ways. Perhaps, whatever this system is, it's not meant to be used to Free them?"

Whoever 'they' were. 

'The Least' sounded like it was a name given to the nameless. Who had Yeesha found to be stuck in such a situation? 

"And besides," Waver continued. "If you've learned how to 'make' these bonds, whatever is holding them prisoner, perhaps in that lies the key to unmaking them? After all, if you understand how to make a lock, the knowledge of how to pick them is but a few well reasoned guesses away."

Yeesha was silent, and her hands slipped from her face as she sat upright.

She looked like she hadn't aged much, physically, but emotionally...

Her face was wracked with guilt and torment that was slowly starting to morph into a spark of hope.

Yeesha spoke, "Perhaps," and Waver felt his stomach churn. He wasn't sure if it was from the large lunch he had eaten just minutes before, or if it was at the weight of metaphysical impossibility that now lay at both of their feet with such a word, and the words that followed. "...Perhaps you are right," she started, sounding like she dared not believe it herself. "I would need a great many number of people to pick each individual lock, however..."

"How many people are we talking about?" Waver asked, not doubting the validity of her claim that it would be a one for one ratio. 

"More than is in Releeshan," Yeesha said. "We would need a world with Billions of people on its surface, to cover the widest possible expanse of the Great Tree's branches. They are scattered, waiting, hiding..." She paused. "We would also need to create a system, a journey, to ensure the pairings are beneficial. That we do not accidentally free those who would cause harm- The true prisoners among the innocent. Yes, this route might be better, that way."

"I'm glad to see that you're not so naive to believe all of them innocent. That said," Waver paused. "Who are 'the least' anyways?"

Yeesha gave him a strange smile, stood slowly, and offered her hand. "Let me show you."

And so he took her hand, and they linked without a Book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: INTERMISSION: For the Romance Novel Lovers...  
\---  
It was brought to my attention that, yeah, these flashback chapters could have been used better in earlier acts when all of the Myst Stuff was first being introduced. And yet with scenes like this one, contrasted with the whole "Todd's Zillyium Powers are blind on Earth" thing last chapter, probably wouldn't hit home as potently as they should here. 
> 
> Earth is a bright spot of population among several galaxies worth of people. Severely limited gene pool though, according to Vala. 
> 
> Then there's the thought of "the true prisoners among the innocent" that also begs the question, "of what can be said of the inverse- of the innocent among the prisoners?" 
> 
> It's quite a conundrum to think of, in regards to the Bahro, splintered at odds. And it's a quandary to consider regarding the old Tok'ra/Goa'uld divide, too. 
> 
> And then there's Ba'al. What the hell is *HE* Up To these days?
> 
> \---
> 
> Meanwhile, I'll be trying to keep the buffer up to pace and ensure that I don't run out of episodes, but depending on how the rest of this month and year plays out I may have to change the schedule a bit... Given that this is nearing the end of the story, hopefully it won't derail things too badly.
> 
> \---
> 
> POST 10/25 EDIT: Welp. Homestuck^2 is a thing... That I'll be politely not touching for resources in this story because right now there's nothing for me to work with that wasn't already in the Epilogues. I'll be repeating this edit in the notes of next chapter.


	21. INTERMISSION: For the Romance Novel Lovers...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternian Title: In which three quadrant bound Chefs have to deal with the romantic pains of an old friend trying to set up an old flush crush with the main heroine lead who has long since moved on with her life. Featuring the ill advised feeding of under cooked hotdogs, several concerning interviews, a faked quadrant flip from spades to hearts, no less than twenty counts of psychic mind reading, an Acrobatic Fucking Pirouette Off the Hand(le), a disembodied flour cloud, a dislocated shoulder, a loud and proud AWOOO, faked amnesia, mistaken identities, and an unspeakable event happening in front of a salad.

**EARTH DATE: JANUARY 22ND, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 08/01/0006.**

Your name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and you stare, gobsmacked, at your personal email server.

Some of your old Classmates are coming to Visit Atlantis.

Specifically, your old friend Alya Cesare, who is now a Reporter for a POPULAR FRENCH TELEVISION STATION, and your old flush-crush of a classmate, Adrien Agreste, who at the time was a very amazing model.

Apparently, he's given up the modeling for magazines and fashion studios, and instead is modeling on Television alongside Alya in the form of a SPORTS NEWSCASTER.

...What the hell, Adrien? Why are you coming to ATLANTIS then??

There's no SPORTS on Atlantis besides the occasional game of WATER POLO in the pool.

Oh, and the worst part is...

"Also, I know the lag time of me sending these emails and you getting them is PRETTY SHIT so you'll actually probably see this after I've shown up! Won't THAT be a surprise? ;) ;) ;) ;) You'll thank me later once I hook you up with Adrien! He's missed you so MUCH since you skipped town for baking school!"

_ **AND THEN THERE'S THIS THING.** _

_ **GAAAAAAH.** _

Thanks, Alya. THANKS SO VERY MUCH for only sending the email from the SGC *hours* before you're heading over! THANKS! THANKS SO VERY MUCH!

You've long since discarded your crush on Adrien Agreste.

And despite the fact that you've told Alya this over many, MANY emails...

Alya still doesn't get it.

So many attempts and "opportunities" to get you to confess as a kid lead to you developing what was almost certainly some form of social anxiety.

It took the near end of the world to finally get you committed to get over it. Then the announcement of the Atlantis Expedition came and you were just... Able to leave it all behind.

You haven't even thought about anything from your disastrous childhood since you got here.

And now your former Best Friend who Can't Take A Hint is coming to Atlantis, dredging up all kinds of old memories and problems and- UGH.

** _UGH!!_ **

Why. WHY??

Why is this happening?

_ **GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.** _

What kind of karmic luck god did you piss off to get cursed with this turn of fortune??

If Atlantis hadn't gotten its long range email server upgraded with some fancy inter-dimensional D'ni Tech, you wouldn't have any forewarning at all.

...

...Okay.

You're forewarned and that means you're forearmed. So what are you going to do about it?

...Well, for starters, hammer it into Alya's thick ass skull that you've moved on.

You spin around in your desk chair, and get ready for the rest of the day.

You have less than six hours before Alya gets through SGC security and makes her way through the Gate to Midway and then through the rest of the way to Atlantis.

Okay.

You've got six hours to plan.

You can do this!

Right?

* * *

"Oh, I know that tumultuous storm anywhere," Boldir remarks as Marinette entered the Cafeteria for the morning shift. "What bug crawled into your flower garden this morning?"

"Old friend from back home who's a bigshot reporter now who's got press credentials enough to get onto Atlantis within a day's notice," Marinette explained. "And she's bringing my old flush-crush through with her because she still doesn't get it that I MOVED ON from him *ages* ago. I need help with a plan."

With those two simple statements, almost every Alternian who was already waiting in line for the early food rush had a rush of a certain emotion flooding their thinkpans.

Their favorite Pitched Romance Live Action Novel just got a VERY spicy sequel, and it was about to play out in near real time.

As the morning progressed on, certain folk hung around long beyond their usual breakfast times, much to what would have been some shift manager's annoyances, except that those shift managers also had a vested interest in the ChefStakes Pitched Romance that had building up to a fevered explosion ever since the start of the Atlantis Expedition, or there about.

And thus, a lot of Alternians were late to work on this one fine day, listening in to the juicy gossip as it unraveled.

Shirou Emiya had a very intense gaze that would line on murderous on any normal Alternian Novel protagonist's face. Especially as he worked, rather flawlessly without argument, with Marinette on the finer details of what they were going to do.

They were going to play it off as a tried and true QUADRANT FLIP! Oh, how Shirou would dote and cuddle, and how Marinette would be all sweetness and lightning!

Oh, the true seasoned veterans of the Alternian Romance Genre knew the dangers of such a thing, though! Such things were liable to cause Quadrant Vaccilation between Pitched and Flushed emotions! Such a tasty plot thread for this new sequel novel! It was sure to cause so much plot drama and intrigue for the years to come!

Unsurprisingly, Emmett Bregman's documentary crew soon caught onto the drama that was brewing, and the director saw an opportunity.

He ordered Ziggy and Dillon to shadow the French News Crew and make sure that every line of dialogue was recorded.

Because, honestly, this was going to make for a wonderful episode in the Documentary!

And then the fateful moment arrived.

Atlantis' Stargate dialed in, and through it stepped Alya Cesare and Adrien Agreste, whose dashing good looks beliled his apparent 'costume' as just your average Camera man.

Really, just wearing a blue cap reading "Cameraman" on it did not necessarily make a man a Cameraman. Not when he had a face that pretty, with glimmering Green eyes framed by golden blond hair and a skin as smooth and healthily tanned like he'd been blessed by no less than three different sun gods at once. He had a grin like a feral cat, seeking its prize.

Jolinar was busy with the Replicator Coding, and so it fell to Argo Lalonde to go meet the French Reporter with a grin like a fox, and a wild dye job in her hair to match. Violet eyes framed by orange hued glasses darted about, looking for a scoop, and her bronzed skin looked polished with JUST enough makeup to make her glisten with just the right flash of lighting- always the right kind of lighting for the camera in question.

"Hello and-" Argo starts.

"Wait!" Alya Cesare held up a finger. "Before you say anything else, Adrien, start rolling!"

"You got it!" and up came the camera. "And we're live."

"Go ahead!" Alya allowed, and Argo rolled their eyes in mild annoyance.

"Hello, welcome to Atlantis. I'm Argo Lalonde, assistant to Director Jolinar. We're fairly busy at the moment with an ongoing problem, so if you'd like to have a tour of the City-?"

"That would be lovely!" Alya grinned, so very much like a fox. "But first, can I get an establishing shot infront of the Stargate?"

"Sure, why not?" Argo rolled their eyes again. Reporters.

* * *

"Helloooo, Paris!" Alya grinned at the camera, standing infront of the Pegasus Stargate in Atlantis' gateroom. "I'm Alya Cesare, bringing you the latest news from Paris to the furthest reaches of the Pegasus Galaxy! Today, we've got a super amazing exclusive for you all here! We're Giving you all a first hand tour of The Lost City of Atlantis! Make sure you don't miss it!"

* * *

And so a tour was had.

It was all basic fluff pieces, with Argo skirting around all the currently "Classified due to ongoing situation" status questions by tastefully explaining all the generic "This is Atlantis" stuff that had been approved for reporter interviews ages ago, not that anyone had reason to use them these days.

There hadn't been a Reporter on Atlantis for any reason at all since before the first move off of Lantea. Every now and again Julia Donovan would drop by for some big news scoop, but things had been tense with the multiple moves and all of the Replicator Situation Induced Increases In Security.

It had really been quite a busy year.

So... this was the first major interview from an outside reporter in a long while.

Alya Cesare was not pulling her punches on the questions she could get answered.

"So what's it like being in another Galaxy?" Alya would ask.

"Nothing exciting, really, it's just like traveling to another planet, or a different country on said planet." Argo answered.

"What's it like working with so many different types of Alien Life?" Alya pried.

"People are people regardless of planet, galaxy, or dimension of origin." Argo shrugged it off.

"But surely you have to have some thought on how unique an experience this is?" Alya pried deeper.

"I was born with crow wings and cat ears. It's really nothing special." Argo tensely answered.

That got Alya to shut up for a minute while she reshuffled her notes.

Then, she would ask, "So, describe to us your average day on Atlantis?"

* * *

By the time Alya's first batch of questions for "the Tourguide" in her notes had been wrapped up, they had made it to the Cafeteria, and Alya decided to call it quits for a lunch break.

"Hooo..." Adrien lowered the camera from his shoulder. "Man. This rig is heavy. How does Felix manage it?"

"Lots of practice," Alya said, pausing to look around the Atlantis Cafeterai. "...Um, is the Cafeteria always this crowded?"

Argo squinted at the rather disporportionately Alternian dominate cafeteria for this time of day. Then, they saw Boldir give a curt nod, and Argo shrugged, saying, "Eh, might be a bit more packed today because you guys are here walking around. It's been a while since the last Reporter came through."

"Fair enough!" Alya chimed with glee, peering around more, as if looking for someone in specific.

Annnd There! A head of blue hair done up into a bun, belonging to a blue eyed girl standing behind the counter.

Alya nudged Adrien in the arm, and said, "Let's go get some lunch!"

* * *

Your name is Boldir Lamati, and you whistle a jaunty tune that's been floating through Diemen's head all morning as you work on hand cleaning a lasagna dish. Oh, so much 'stubborn' cheese sticking everywhere! Why, it baked on so stubbornly you think not eve n the usual high powered soaps will get it clean! Not even a PSYCHIC could clean it! Yes, assuredly, this is a task fit for your strong arm muscles indeed.

As per the plan, Marinette is working at the order station right now.

Alya Cesare steps up to the plate. "Marineeeeeeette!!"

"Hello, ma'am, what may I get for you?" Marinette inquired, instantly putting the reporter off guard with a different speaking cadence that made the Reporter frown. _'Wow. She hasn't changed a bit at all, has she? Just a bit too much makeup compared to when we were kids. Who the heck approved that? I can't imagine that looks good on camera.'_

"Uh, it's me, Alya. Your best friend? We sat next to eachother in school?" Definitely offput, the Reporter put out her reminder.

"Oh! Alya! What a surprise! I wasn't expecting you for another week given how fast emails take to get here anymore!" Marinette said, putting on a mock apologetic tone. Her thoughts revealed that she was only apologetic to one person. _'Sorry, Chloe, but I have to borrow your laugh.'_ And then she did just such a laugh. Alya looked unsettled.

Alya didn't realize it yet, but Marinette was putting on a front, copying from the once Trust operative who'd turned on them and now worked a different shift in the cafeteria roster these days, while also speaking in Alternian thanks to, well, years of working around Alternians and picking up the language even outside of Stargate translation shenanigans. It was supposed to be the Alternian that would make Alya unsettled, but her thoughts were revealing something else entirely.

_'God, is she speaking like Sabrina did back in class?' _Alya wondered.

Marinette continued, unaware of Alya's confusion, "If I'd known you'd be coming today, I'd have cleared my schedule so we could hang out! But unfortunately, I've got to keep working today. Sooo... What can I get for you, Alya?"

"Uh... Um..." And then the Reporter gave a simple order of a plate of Hotdogs and Marinette put on a bright, wide smile and told her it was the Chef, Diemen Xicali's specialty meal of the day.

And thus, Alya moved on in line with Marinette calling out a "Next!" She hovered in place as Diemen began piecing together her lunch order, keeping an eye on Marinette and the next person in line as they interacted.

"Well, hello, Princess!" Adrien Agreste began, grinning. 'Hellooo future love of my life!' his thoughts echoed. 'Time to make you mine and bring you home!'

"Sorry, do I know you?" Marinette schooled her expression, and her tone of voice definitely was digging deeper to call upon that one person. _'Really, really, Sorry, Chloe!'_

Adrien's mind ground to a halt, and all you received was a literally thought 'Bwuh?' was his mouth floundered open and close for a moment.

"Uhh... Yeah? Alya said I was coming, didn't she?" Adrien asked, hesitantly._ 'I know she said she was going to try setting us up. And she did say she got the email, so... Why aren't you leaping at the chance to get out of here? Alya said you've been miserable!'_

Ohhoooo. That's going straight into the gossip fodder.

You prod Alya Cesare. _'Ah, crap. How the fuck does she not recognize Adrien Agreste!? His face was plastered all over Paris when we were kids! ...Still plastered all over the place now, actually, too, but still!'_

"Hmm..." Marinette considered. Then snapped her fingers. "OH! Right! You sat a row infront of me for lycee and college!"

"Yes!" Adrien grinned.

_'Finally!'_ was a thought echoed between the two hopeless romantics who had come all this way to facilitate a hook up.

"You're Chad Noir, right? The guy who went around in the banana mascot costume every summer handing out perfume ads?" _'Sorry, Chad!'_ Marinette lamented inwardly while saying such a boldfaced declaration of a lie confidently. Thoughts of a poor, beleaguered banana suit mascot performer came to her mind.

"What? No! Adrien! Adrien Agreste!" The shock was just as genuine from Adrien in word and thought.

Meanwhile, Alya stared on, slack jawed, _'Who the hell is Chad Noir?!'_

"Hmmm... Not ringing any bells, sorry," Marinette shook her head and shrugged dramatically. "What can I get you for lunch?"

"Uh... I'd really rather we could talk in private for a few minutes if that's alright?" Adrien asked, trying to push along with "the plan." Which, now that his thoughts are revolving around it, is hilariously over complicated.

Adrien and Alya are both running on the assumption that Marinette's the shy school girl with a crush so bad she'd stammered over her words. If she were, this kind of insane plan would honestly make her a gibbering wreck confronted with it. And that's not even getting into the wishy-washy "backup plan" involving kidnapping Marinette if things went a certain way.

"Sorry, but like I told Miss... Cesare, wasn't it?' Marinette's confusion on Alya's last name caused the reporter's brain to stall out- mental gears locking up in shock. "I'm on duty for the rest of the day, and I already took my break just a few minutes ago, so I can't leave my post."

"But... I mean, there's four people working back there!" Adrien said, not catching the name 'hesitance' Marinette had sprinkled in about the Reporter. "Surely you can spare a few minutes for us to talk? In Private?"

_'Damn, when did Adrien get so entitled?'_ Marinette scowled. "Sorry, but I really can't do that. It's Against Policy."

And with those three words, Shirou Emiya looked up from where he was busy slicing a rather large head of lettuce into thin slices, and promptly abandoned his work with the thought, 'Show Time,' slinging a very long and sharp knife over his shoulder as he casually sauntered past you, past Diemen, and over to Marinette.

"Hey, Mari-chan," Shirou began, speaking in a much gruffer voice than he usually used. He wasn't speaking Alternian though, but rather his Native Japanese, and in a dialect that the Stargate Translations are telling you is as close of a match to the gritty, battle hardened Samurai type. "Is this Clueless Idiot giving you a hard time?"

Adrien and Alya stared at the new man on the scene- Shirou's red hair serving as a boiling sharp warning that he was not someone to be messed with. Their thoughts echoed similar sentiments:

_'Who's this douchebag?'_ Adrien asked himself, clearly disgruntled.

_'Who the heck is tall hot and hunky!?'_ Alya asked herself, suddenly trying to re-valuate her plans in the confrontation of this variable. Namely, how to knock Shirou out of the picture and try to claim him for herself.

"Oh, no!" Marinette turned up the dial on her behavior to 11, and practically flung herself against Shirou's chest with a rather flirty tone of voice. "He was just taking _foreveeeer_ to tell me his food order, She~ro~kun~!"

'Damn it, why did I tell her to use that mispronunciation?' Shirou's eye legitimately twitched in annoyance.** "Is that so?"** The annoyance growled out through his voice. _**'Oh, wait, that's why.'**_

"Oh! Definitely!" Marinette clung to Shirou's arm and nuzzled her face against his chest so very much like a cat high on catnip. _'This is going to rile him up so much later it's going to be hilarious and SO MUCH FUN!!'_ "It's no big deal, She~ro~kun! I promise you!" And then she stood on the tips of her toes and excitedly did a short bounce to plant a kiss high up on the side of Shiro's head. _"MWAH!"_ the sound of the kiss was highly exaggerated as well.

Despite the outwardly flushed actions, this was pure pitched ashen emotions whirling around inside Marinette's skull.

The Alternian Audience of the Cafeteria was eating it up like nothing else.

"I'm just trying to catch up with an old classmate, that's all!" Adrien tried to appease the man with the sharp blade, and his thoughts were revolving around that now. _'OhGodOhGodOhFuckingShitMarinetteGotAYakuzaBoyfriendInAtlantis!?'_

"Well," Shirou growled out. "Perhaps you could give me your order instead so that way you aren't wasting My Mari-chan's time and go Eat Your Food In Peace!!" _'And maybe I can get back to work and not have to pretend to be Marinette's over-protective boyfriend in the way you're clearly trying to get her to like you! GET THE HINT, IDIOT! She moved on!'_

"I..." Adrien swallowed. "Think I'll just have what she's having?" Adrien motioned at Alya, and Diemen gleamed with a bright smile.

Everyone on Atlants knew not to order the Hotdogs when he did manage to get them on the menu. It was a recurring thing and most everyone knew that "chef's special" hotdogs usually only got wheeled out when the old stock was well past its expiry date and were going to be thrown out anyways. You managed to convince Director Jolinar to let Dimen have his way and cook hotdogs a bit early.

And these two schmucks bought it without even checking.

After all, it was a WELL known fact that Diemen refused to ever cook his hotdogs at a reasonable temperature. The Reporter lady really ought to have done her homework.

The room temperature hotdogs got served, and those two left the kitchen area alone.

You glance to Diemen and he grins so brightly, "I sold six hotdogs today!"

You love your little hotdog boy, and give him a kiss.

Not a few minutes later, you feel the thoughts of the two French Reporters.

_'...Man, I must've let these sit too long watching Adrien get schooled, they're already cold!'_ Alya grimaced through the meal.

Adrien chewed somberly, thinking, _'...What kind of blackmail does this guy have on Marinette anyways? There's no way this guy's her type at all!!_'

Their thoughts continue on a very oddly looped process, with Alya wondering just how the hell she misread Marinette's declarations of loneliness at night as, well, being lonely and wanting to go home when clearly she was having way too much fun here on Atlantis. And as for Adrien...

God, the look on his face grew more and more outraged as he chewed on his hotdogs and it wasn't even because of the hot dogs being under cooked.

_Oh, no._ This guy thought he was going to SAVE Marinette from her "oh so clearly abusive boyfriend" and- GOD. If he only knew the truth about most of the thoughts going on between Marinette and Shirou most days, he'd have a heart attack.

Honestly, Adrien was getting pretty desperate here. Disturbingly so. His thoughts were not the nice kinds of thoughts a man his age should have been thinking, let alone ones directed at the teenaged version of Marinette he had enshrined in his mind as the 'current' her.

This boy had been sheltered as a kid, oh so sheltered, that he thinks that his own behavior and thoughts was acceptable. How had nobody called him out on some of these things before?

He thought he was entitled to have Marinette love him now despite: A: The fact he'd never seen it as a kid, and B: that his lack of luck in the dating department back on Earth was 'fate's way of saying he was being saved for Marinette.'

The tension in the room could be cut with Shirou's very sharp knife, which has gone back to chopping up lettuce heads. Marinette acting all goofy and flirty, blinking her eyes rapidly at Shirou's back with an outwards appearance of having fallen so far in love that it's such a 180 turn from what you've known of her.

Her thoughts are all normal, though, including thoughts of 'Please make Alya and Adrien leave ASAP please!!'

The Audience continued to eat it up however. God, the whole building rise of exhilaration through the whole room as it came down to that punchline of the hotdogs was just... MWAH! Beautiful!

Still you write up two copies of the same note and pass it discretely to Marinette and Shirou, as well as write up a much larger and detailed warning to Jolinar because- better to forewarn them to forearm them, after all.

* * *

More interviews are done by the Foxy Reporter seeking a scoop like a turtle seeks leafy greens to eat or a Cat seeks a wheel of Camembert to eat...

...Wait, what do you mean cats don't actually eat cheese? Uh--- Just lemme shuffle these notes for a moment here and...

Like a turtle seeks leafy greens or a cat seeks a fine mouse to catch. Yes, there, that works better.

Ahhem.

Anyways.

Alya Cesare went around doing basic interviews with all the heads of staff of various departments.

"So, Doctor Jackson, what's it like having died and come back to life again?"

"I forgot."

"What? No, seriously! You forgot what it was like to die and come back?"

"No, I mean. I literally forgot everything and had to gain it back piece by piece. I still think I'm forgetting things from time to time. What was your name again?"

Alya quickly ended that conversation and moved onto another, ignoring the look Sarah Gardner gave Daniel Jackson that clearly showed she knew he played up the amnesia to get out of an awkward interview.

"So, Colonel Sheppard! Tell me, what's it like being a single father on Atlantis?"

"Well, I'm not Single, I'm married."

"What? But, I checked the staff records and there's nobody who works here with the last Name Sheppard besides syou!"

"Yeah, we decided to keep our original names," John shrugged.

"Oh. Uh. Well. Who's the Lucky Girl then?"

"Well, now that'd be kissing and telling, wouldn't it? And then I'd have two angry spouses coming after me."

"T-Two!?"

"Oh, yeah, Two. And just for the reccord, we're quite happy together and not looking to expand in That Department. Though one of them is pregnant and we're expanding in the kid department!"

"Oh, uh... um... Congratulations."

Needless to say, John Sheppard's exasperatingly earnest "Thanks" was not at all what she was expecting with that conversation.

"Doctor Raddek Zelenka, I presume?"

"[Yes, I am he. And No, I am not going to speak in English or French or any other language for you.]" Zelenka gave a happy, co-operative smile.

"Uh... Okay. Could... could you tell us about how you got started with the Atlantis Expedition?"

"[Oh, sure, I could. It's quite a long and tragic story, starting all the way back when we were kids and my Brother burned the house down with candles. We had to stay in tents in the cold of winter for three months!]"

And as Zelenka rambled on, Adrien glanced at a rather amused assistant scientist, and asked, "...Does... he always do this?"

"Not always, no, just when it amuses him," the assistant answered.

And thus, another interview later...

"So, Director Jolinar, Doctor Samantha Carter, I have to ask... how are you handling the transition to becoming the new leader of Atlantis?"

"Oh, it's just like riding a bike," Sam Carter answered with a smile.

"A... A Bike?" Alya asked, surprised.

**"No, I'd say it's more like piloting a Cargo Ship. It's ten times as challenging as riding a bike,"** Jolinar countered.

"Oh, good point!" Sam replied with a fist in palm of hand motion. "But I can do one better. Piloting a Ha'tak!"

**"Oh!"** Jolinar countered. **"What about blowing up a sun?"**

"Oh, no, that's child's play," Sam answered, much to a baffled Alya's confused stare. "The first thing you have to do is- well. Oh, I shouldn't talk about that. Should I?"

**"No, I don't think you should,"** Jolinar agreed.

It was at around that time that both reporters felt the need to request a bathroom break. Coincidentally, by the time they were done there, it was time for dinner.

* * *

"_Goooood_. Adrien," Alya lamented, once more entering the Cafeteria around Dinner time, with her severely exhausted cameraman trailing behind her. "I am just. So Ready for this quest marker to get scratched out of my mental journal."

"You can say that again," Adrien agreed, and they both paused, taking in the incredibly crowded Atlantis Cafeteria.

Arguably, it was twice as crowded as lunch! It was as if the previous Lunch Crowd had merged with the Dinner Rush into one giant food-free-for-all clusterfuck.

And the two Parisians found themselves feeling as if all eyes were locked onto them.

It was... a decidedly novel sensation. It was like staring into the den of a hundred hungry wolves and overly excited faries. And oh, there were quite a few werewolf types along with Alfheim natives AND Fairy Wing clad Alternian Trolls.

It was a sensation made worse because everyone in the room was doing their damnedest not to actually look their way.

Infact, the only ones actually looking their way, Adrien noticed, were two blue feathered, red eyed mini-drakes casually resting on their owners nearly identical heads.

It said something about the state of the room that those two were merely just looking up at any person that entered the room at all.

Just... People watching dragons. No real interest in why they were there at all, save that they had entered the room.

Alya swallowed her tired pride, and made her way to the order line. Adrien was a few steps behind her, which resulted in him somehow being set up in line a good five people behind her, thanks to a group of two and a group of three joining the food line at the same time.

The group of two was a human girl and an Alternian girl who looked identical. Atleast one of their names was "Ruby," as far as Alya could tell. The group of three consisted of a certain smug Colonel Sheppard, Argo Lalonde, and a giggling Jade Jackson.

They waited, waited, waited, and then the line finally moved enough for Alya to place her order.

This time, the blonde haired, blue eyed Chloe smiled from the other side of the counter. "Hello! What can I get for you?"

Were Alya Cesare aware of the woman's former Trust leanings, let alone her previous identity's staged death, she no doubt would have hounded the smiling woman for an interview.

But Alya was not aware, and so she did not. She did not want to think about any questions at all.

Instead, she just ordered a basic salad.

"Really, A salad? Just a salad?" Chloe asked, raising an eyebrow. "Nothing more?"

"Something I ate didn't agree with me," Alya complained. "I just spent the last half hour in the restroom."

"Ah, I see," Chloe nods, then, conspiratorially, said, "That's quite a shame. Just one salad it is then. Dressings? No? Alright. Would you like any toppings? We have crouton garnish, chopped hot dog garnish- No? Okay."

The line moved on, Alya waited for her Salad to be made... She got it and went to sit down at the nearest open table.

Adrien got to order next.

"Oh! You must be 'Chad'!" Chloe suddenly put on a very familiar front, scoffing and rolling her eyes. "Marinette's told me SO much about you with the Banana costume!"

Adrien scowled. "No. It's Adrien. And I never wore that costume at all."

"Oh! My apologies, Adrikins!" Chloe scoffed. "You just have such a fruity personality and such... Shapely hair! Why I could just snap one of those banana locks off your head and peel it open right now!"

"What would it take you to just ask me my order and move on?" Adrien asked, scowling deeper.

"Gee, now that's the question isn't it?" Chloe mused. "How much would it take you to realize Marinette's moved on and has her own boyfriend now that isn't a shallow perfume ad model?"

"Hey! I gave that life up when I realized my father was using me!" Adrien countered. "I have my own job and my own carreer now that has nothing to do with modeling!"

"Sure, you may have given up the cha-click cameras," Chloe smiled, oh so casually. "But you've traded up for a news camera there, banana hair."

"What do you even want me to say!?" Adrien asked, glaring at her.

"Just a promise that you're not going to harass Marinette when she gets off her shift in five minutes," Chloe smiled, a twinkle in her eyes. "And also, not to think such *demanding* thoughts of a girl who's moved on infront of a room full of literal Psychics."

Once more, Adrien felt all eyes on him, including Alya's this time.

He should have chosen his words far more carefully.

But.

He did not.

"Look, i don't know what game you're playing, but you can't keep Marinette here!" Adrien began. "Whatever blackmail you have on her isn't going to work. And forcing her to pretend to be in love with that Shirou guy is appaling!"

"Oh, it's so true," Chloe truthfully spoke in a tone of voice implying sarcasm, casually dusting her nails on her shoulder and gazing at her reflection on their polished surfaces. "She absolutely hates his guts! They hate fuck instead of love fuck, don't you know?"

The Audience of Alternian Spectators went "OOOOOH!" and Jade went "Awooo!!" before cackling with laughter as Adrien's face went red and his eyes seemed to flash the green of jealousy.

"YOU STOP LYING ABOUT MARINETTE!" He demanded.

"What? Meeee?" Chloe laughed a familiar laugh that Marinette had borrowed earlier. "Lie? Oh, sweetie. Adrien. No. Boy. Just No. I'm not lying one bit. Which one of us has WORKED with her for the last 3 years?"

She leaned in close, much to Adrien's dismay as she enetered his bubble of personal space.

"Lemme give you a hint," Chloe stage whispered loud enough for the whole room to hear. "It isn't you, buddy."

Adrien should have considered his next actions very carefully.

However.

He did not.

And thus, he reared a fist back and made to punch Chloe in her smug face.

Had Chloe been anyone but who she was. Had she been, say, a rich heiress whose father was Mayor. Had she, perhaps, been a silly girl prancing around Paris' rooftops in a bee costume... She may have tanked that punch like a whimp and cried for her daddy.

But no.

Chloe was a former Trust Operative turned Cafeteria Worker, and she knew how to move faster than fast- a skill one needed to be a spy with multiple disguises that one changed through in a day.

In slow motion, Emmett Bregman's cameras would play this scene on the documentary for audiences world wide mere months later.

Chloe leaped over the counter like a frog, placing her hands firmly on Adrien's fist as it swung through the place her head had been, and then she grabbed onto his slugging right arm as it pushed through space as she backflipped over him- her legs, spread from leaping over the counter, snapped together as her body fell into the position of a straight line...

And then she SPUN as she began to drag Adrien's own arm over his head- pulling the boy up off his feet so badly that his shoes were left behind as Chloe's feet touched the ground, and she continued to twirl--

Adrien Agreste found himself miraculously staring up at the Atlantis Cafeteria's ceiling for all of the time it took his mind to think _'Huh, I think we have ceiling lamps like that back at the studi-'_ And then he hit the ground face first with the missing "_**OH!**_" from the word Studio.

A faint cloud of flour that dusted the floor from an earlier accident blew around from the point of impact.

The words _**ACROBATIC FUCKING PIROUETTE** _flashed across the screen in an appropriate font as time spun back into normal speeds, Ruby Rose and Rhubee Xaolon cried out with twin symmetry:_** "GET WREEEEEEEEEECKED!"**_

Chloe dusted her hands, and smiled politely at the man-child groaning on the ground at her feet as she said, "Word of advice? Don't try punching above your weight class, Agreste. And Marinette? She's OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE. Got it?"

_"mmmgh got it."_ Adrien mumbled.

Meanwhile, Alya stared on in shock at what had just transpired.

Were anyone willing to transcribe her thoughts, they would be the word "dot" repeated over and over and over again as her brain left a trail of finnish bread crumbs lying in a row for anyone to just trip over.

Needless to say, Alya had one more interview to conduct, and it was with Janet Fraiser as Adrien Agreste was treated by Jennifer Keller for a merely dislocated shoulder and a heavily bruised ego in the background.

* * *

**EARTH DATE: JANUARY 23RD, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 08/02/0006.**

You are now once again Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and you never even said bye to Alya once she left with a disgruntled and most likely fired Adrien. Mostly because Alya never even thought to say goodbye. Didn't even come drop by your room. You wonder why?

That was sarcasm. It was because you and Shirou were loudly pretending to be having passionate sex whenever your recently borrowed hallway security camera showed her approaching your room's door. Neither of you had even so much as taken any clothes off. But damn it if you weren't going to hammer the point in that you were NOT interested in Adrien!

Neither were you or Shirou even remotely interested in actually fucking after YESTERDAY. God. Just such a headache. Fucking with people's perceptions of events on the other hand? So much more fun. Especially considering how calling him "Shero-kun" over and over again just made your Kismesis even more frustrated.

...You're probably actually going to burn off all that sexual energy tonight, but for the moment it doesn't matter.

"Soooo...." you begin as you pick up a wet rag and a dirty plate. "Are you getting in any trouble for body checking Adrien, Chloe?"

"Beyond a 'recommendation' to teach self defense classes?" Chloe scoffs as she polishes some stray food off of a plate. "Hell no! Everyone clearly saw the dude throw the first punch! It's on camera~! I heard from Woolsey that the new French IOA Ambassador is even recommending I get a medal! I'm turning it down, of course, but it's the thought that counts."

"Oh? Why's that?" You ask.

"Apparently Agreste was something of a ladies man. A real skirt chaser, if you get what I mean," Chloe shakes her head as you wince because. "And from what I heard, the only reason the Studio sent him to Atlantis was to get him and Cesare out of town while they investigated the massive stacks of misconduct reports filed against him. Sportscasters. I tell you. Not even once, Marinette!"

OH. WOW. You dodged a bullet, it sounds like.

"Sooo... I take it he's not going to go straight back to Paris to a cushy job?" you ask.

"Oh, yeah. Hell no." Chloe giggles. "Director Jolinar assured me that the SGC is going to hold him for days until they complete their own investigation. 'Review the evidence.' All the other code words for 'We're stalling him out until extradition at juuust the right time for all the evidence piled against him to be filed in court.'"

You... Really Dodged a bullet there.

"God, you know, I may Hate Shirou romantically, but I really think I kinda just... platonicly hate the idea of dating Adrien Agreste right now?" You muse. "Like. I mean. Fuck him with a full body toss to the floor kind of platonic. The only kissing there is his lips meeting the floor."

Chloe laughed like crazy, and you laughed too.

Finally, Chloe wheezed, "Oh! Hell yes! I'll totally plationicly body slam that guy into the floor any day of the week!"

You smile at her, and say, "Thanks, Chloe."

"Hey, any time!" Chloe smiled back. "What are Moirails for?"

* * *

Needless to say, half of the Alternian population of the Cafeteria heard such a simple statement of four words, and realized they'd missed out on a whole OTHER branch of a quadrant dynamic unfolding behind the scenes of all the spicy Kismesisitude events of the _SS Shirounette_.

Thus, began a whole other novels worth of romantic quandaries...  
  
But that's a story for another time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. Homestuck^2 is a thing... That I'll be politely not touching for resources in this story because right now there's nothing for me to work with that wasn't already in the Epilogues.  
\---  
SO. THIS CHAPTER. There's... a LOT of Miraculous Ladybug stuff that I'm drawing from for these side characters. A lot of different character interpretations about how you can view Adrien Agreste's and Alya Cesare's actions within the series... 
> 
> Adrien takes one of the more negative viewpoints you can have of his character, here, exacerbated to adulthood because, well, nobody set him straight in this timeline, whether he gets that same set straight behavior in canon remains to be seen. This aged up interpretation of him... never really got called out on it.
> 
> Alya is just flat out canon, unfortunately. Girl has had a tendency to try and force romantic confessions into situations that really don't need them and it just stresses everyone out so badly. This aged up version of her hasn't grown out of that idea that she can make things work out without listening to people, a bad trait in a reporter that, unfortunately, is ALSO canon Miraculous. 
> 
> MEANWHILE- Trust Agent Chloe from acts back who's been hiding in the background all this time has been a stealth Miraculous!Chloe reference the entire time! ...Different upbringings entirely lead to this basically being a character in name only situation. The less said about Canon Chloe the better. There've been a lot of Fanon Chloes that have been vastly better characters. This ends up being one of them, I suppose.
> 
> I'm not really selling the series hard to unfamiliar viewers here, am I? Fandom content really has done a better job of redeeming or reinventing those characters than canon has and... UGH. Just... Don't get me *Started* on the timeline of events. Marinette deserves better than that treatment in canon, and she gets a somewhat better shakedown here. 
> 
> The show is great for concept fodder, but yeah. There's no way I'm ever Ficcing Miraculous Ladybug directly at this point. Not without *major* and *hefty* timeline restructuring. This is the closest I'm ever gonna get.
> 
> \---
> 
> Soooo... How about that ACROBATIC FUCKING PIROUETTE, eh? What's more surprising, that it just literally happened off of a literal hand, or that it's taken THIS LONG for the words to appear in-fic accompanying such an event? 
> 
> \---  
Next chapter: SGA:04X10: Roger Roger, Copy Copy(Part 1/3)


	22. SGA:04X10: Roger Roger, Copy Copy (Part 1/3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1/3. Parallels Parallels, all around.

**EARTH DATE: JANUARY 25TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 08/04/0006.**

As the sun rose over Atlantis in the early hours of the morning, many people either awoke early or to their alarms.

For those lucky enough to have been sleeping with their partners, the scenes were similar. And more than similar, nearly identical in the cases of a certain pair of inter dimensional twins.

Silica and Keiko- A pair of red-hued eyes fluttering open, groggily processing the warmth of their partner that they were nestled against, and smiling happily.

With Silica, Minori whined at the ringing of an alarm, and muttered, "Nooo... not now..."

With Keiko, Mallek was already awake, and gave a forehead kiss and a "Good morning."

Soon, the same scene played out in near parallel. A pair of returned smooches to the mouth, and then the laborious task of getting out of bed to get dressed.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the City, another pair of dimensional twins awoke in similar fashion, though, they were alone in the privacy of their own rooms, and moved in parallel ways.

Rhubee Xaolon and Ruby Branwen awoke with tired groans, and both rolled over in bed to reach a hand out for a buzzing alarm.

Rhubee rolled to her right and reached out with her left hand to smack the alarm off of its place on the night stand- turning her back to the window through which the sun's light was intruding- and running into her own well-earned fail safe of gluing the thing firmly to the table with sticky strips of velcro. She still hit the off button, regardless.

Ruby rolled to her left and cried out in annoyance, screwing her eyes shut as the sun's light glared into her face. She reached out with her right hand and angrily swatted the alarm off of the night stand, sending the poor little alarm clock flying across the room where it then got lost beneath the dresser's legs and the floor... where it continued to ring out in alarm.

Both girls groaned, and pulled themselves out of bed, though Ruby was forced to kneel on the floor and stretch her arm under the dresser to try and find her wayward alarm clock.

As Rhubee began to get dressed- not even pausing to silence a secondary alarm she'd hidden in her own shirt drawer- Keiko and Silica finished dressing in their own respective uniforms.

Keiko paused once more to admire the new cut of the uniform's jacket against her shoulders and back- and specifically admiring the way the blue hued lines signifying her department were much better woven into the design than the previous uniform- and then did a spot check of her patches, ensuring they were attached.

The sign embroidered over her right breast was a stylized rendition of her pet Dragon, Pina, who yawned tiredly from the cat tree as Mallek made sure to fill her breakfast bowl.

Uniform secured, Keiko then tied her hair up into a singular pony tail as she'd grown accustomed.

Silica, meanwhile, paused as she finished getting her uniform put on to turn towards Minori who had burrowed beneath the sheets in an attempt to hide away from the world. Thus, Silica would head over to the bed and pull the sheets away dramatically to expose her girlfriend to the warm morning air and help drag her out of bed to get dressed.

Resting atop a similar cat tree was Silica's Pina, who watched the morning endeavors with a knowing smile and a happy chirp that indicated to all that heard it that this was par the course for those two.

Rhubee finished getting dressed, and quickly applied the specialized "DAEDALUS/RUBY LANCER" patch over her left shoulder in place of the usual Flag patch. She dusted off the black stripes on her uniform and gave herself a wide grin in the mirror. "Alright, Rhubee! Mission Ready for whatever the day throws at you!"

Meanwhile, Ruby had only just gotten the alarm out from under the dresser and turned it off with an annoyed gaze at its shiny, polished surface. She was definitely not ready for anything yet.

Keiko and Mallek emerged from their room, fully dressed for the day, and began making their way down the hallway towards the nearest transportalizer chamber-- Mallek snapped his fingers, "Hey! New name suggestion for the Transporters!"

"Oh?" Keiko asked.

"Transportalizers!" Mallek grins.

"Oh! I like that! But isn't there already tech that uses that name somewhere?" Keiko asked as they arrived at the transporter chamber, where Touya and Yuuki were already waiting.

"Isn't there a name that uses what?" Yuuki asked.

Elswhere in Atlantis, two versions of a woman named Carter and her Tok'ra partner Jolinar awoke.

Morgan awoke next to her matesprit, Jimmyy. Samantha awoke alone in bed, sighing, and glancing at a framed photograph on the wall. 'If only you were here,' she thought, tiredly.

Years of Military promptness ingrained into muscle memory had Samantha getting up and getting ready for the day. Meanwhile, the younger clones took their sweet time getting up and getting ready.

And yet still, Ruby hobbled across her room as she tried to get her right leg through her pants matching right leg, which was stubbornly balled up on the end and refusing to budge open as she desired. "COME OOOON!!!!"

She lost her balance and fell backwards into her bed with a startled yelp.

Meanwhile Rhubee exited her own room, and whistled a jaunty tune as she headed down a different hallway. "Hey! Karren!!" She called out, seeing her fellow Synch-partner similarly walking down the hallway towards the nearest stairwell. She put on a burst of speed, and with a puff of rose pettals later, the Rust Blood caught up with her groggy, and coffee desiring Sea Dweller Violet Blood partner. _"Goo~ood Moo~oorning!"_

"Mornin' Rhubee," Karren yawned.

Silica dragged Minori out of their room at this point. The Cait girl helped her Sylph partner get her yellow striped jacket settled on her shoulders properly, and then, once finished, set to tying her own hair into its signature twin tails.

It was thus with little fanfare but a collision of "Good Morning"s that Keiko, Mallek, Touya and Yuuki ran into Daraya and Tyzias as the larger group exited the transporter, and they, as a group, headed for the Cafeteria.

Ruby finally rushed out of her room, shrugging on her red striped jacket, and relying on the door's automated closing sensors to do the job of locking up for her.

Minori and Silica exited the transporter a few minutes later and got in line for breakfast, running into Doctor Keller, who likewise had just gotten into line, in the process.

"Oh! Minori! Good morning," Keller greeted.

"G'morning, Doctor Keller," Minori yawned.

"Ready for the morning shift?" Keller asked.

"Not especially, no," Minori answered.

"She thought today was tomorrow," Silica helpfully informed.

"Silicaaaa!!" Minori protested. "Noo! That's embarrassing!"

Silica replied by kissing her girlfriend.

Keller laughed.

Rhubee and Karren joined them in line a moment later.

Meanwhile, Ruby finally made it to the teleportation chamber nearest to her, and paused in her tracks as she saw Gray and Lord Waver El Melloi the Second arrive at just the same time.  
  
"Going to the cafeteria, Lieutenant Branwen?" Waver inquired.

Ruby swallowed, then nodded, entering the transporter with them.

The doors closing in on her felt like a death sentence to her recent days of idling in the background, as if she were being promoted to a grander stage.

It didn't help that her first official day of pilot training was today.

* * *

[ **o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg)

* * *

Your name is Argo Lalonde, and you bite into an apple as you work on some early morning paperwork in your office.

Director Jolinar/Doctor Carter tiredly enters the room through the side entrance, not going by the Control Room, and sits at her desk.

"Mornin," you greet around a mouthful of apple.

"Good morning, Argo" Doctor Carter replies, professional as always, as she sets in on her own paperwork.

You get an email alert, and you peer at it. Oh! It's from your younger alternate self who's never going to go through the Aschen Timeline Bullshit you did.

You open it, and see a bunch of pictures of Jade, Nepp, Rose, and June all hanging out.

The description says that they had another sleep over last night- when aren't they having sleep overs? Honestly, your whole life has been nothing but sleep overs in two different timelines!

Still, you smile at the events depicted in the first major picture. Jade and Nepp are drawing cartoons together, and Rose is painting June's nails. In the background of the image you can see Joey giving a thumbs up to whoever was taking the picture- either Mierfa or Polypa and the picture doesn't give a hint as to who.

The next one involves the kids beating Polypa and Mierfa at a racing car game, the picture likely being taken by Joey, in this case.

You go through a few more candid shots. The kids gathered around Mierfa as she reads to them from a book. Them all in Joey's hive's kitchen as they eat a large pizza for dinner...

...It's all the simple, carefree, kid stuff you missed out on thanks to the Aschen.

And as sad as that thought should make you, you can't help but feel happy.

Your misery and sacrifice bought them, and yourself, a new future to live in, iterative successions or not.

And isn't that what counts?

* * *

"How's Barzum doing?"

Your name is Tyzias Entykk, and you look up from your coding work, and massage at the bridge of your nose. "Really, Mallek? You think now's a good time to ask?"

Mallek looks at you from across the table, and smiles. "Well, she did go back to Diaspora last week. I was just wondering if you'd heard anything?"

"Beyond the fact that it's a miracle catching the amnesia virus and getting cured of it made her inexplicably immune to whatever cold the tykes and Baizil caught?" You answer, "No, I haven't heard too much more save that Baizil's recovering faster than the tykes."

"So... not hard times between them then?" Mallek asks.

"Apparently, a sick Baizil was a thousand times more amicable and decent even back when they were kids and she was a jerk, and is, like ten thousand times more now that she's actually a decent person with responsibilities and such," you answer.

"That's good?" Mallek blinks. "Uh, changing subject not because this isn't fascinating, but- can you double check lines 1389 through 1413 for me?"

You grumble, and check it over. "...What the fuck, Mallek? The simulation says those lines'll-"

"I KNOW," Mallek groans. "Fuckin' pain in the ass!"

You both immediately get to work stopping THAT problem cold in its tracks.

You do NOT want the Human Form Replicators to shift into giant mech-wasps, amusing as that might be to watch.

* * *

Your name is Kohiru Karren, and you wince as you watch Rhubee mop the floor with her other self in the noble Athosian art of beating people up with a pair of wooden sticks- or, in this case, a pair of literal wooden mops with large blue and pristine, unsoiled by murky water fiber heads.

One of them was Ruby's, and it had been pilfered from her grasp before Rhubee knocked her to the floor.

"Owwww..." Ruby groans from the floor. "Did you have to go for my knees?"

"You need to work on what happens when you lose a weapon!" Rhubee advises. "Sometimes you get disarmed! Learn what to block and what to dodge." She offers her hand to her human twin.

"But- I'm never actually going to get in a fight at this point, am I?" Ruby asks, accepting the hand and being pulled to her feet. "I mean... All my training is with Sniper Rifles. And even if I did get re-certified in this dimension, it's not like I can actually find any good places to put that skill to good use!"

"Well, that's why I'm helping to train you!" Rhubee smiles. "I had a teacher, once, who taught me the ways of the Mop and Bucket!"

She hands her twin the pilfered mop.

"Gee, thanks," Ruby pouts. "What good is this training for anyways? You didn't answer my original question."

"I was getting to it!" Rhubee giggles. "Look! It's simple. Director Jolinar asked me and Karren to train backup pilots for the Ruby Lancer incase we got hurt or were unable to pilot the thing for any reason! I'm choosing you! But first I gotta get you to my speed!"

"Says the girl with super speed," Ruby mutters.

You laugh, hearing that. "Hey, if it's any consolation, I'm pretty sure my backup isn't going to be someone with super speed either! You'll both be equally slow together!" And then you zip across the room to deliver a water bottle to both of them. "Stay hydrated!"

You zip back to your seat, and lean back in it as Rhubee laughs at your 'stay hydrated' remark. ("Get it?" She wheezes, "Because she's a sea dweller??")

"Speaking of," Ruby glances at you, frowning. "Who's my partner going to be?"

"Still deciding that," you say. "But I'm taking some offers and suggestions into consideration. I've got my Top Three."

One of them is Lord El Melloi's suggestion- the girl Gray, with the magic spear.

You'll admit, a small part of you is severely interested to see what kind of damage could be wrought using the Lancer's Spear mode as a medium.

Ah, but what are the chances of THAT ever happening?

* * *

Callie Ohphee and Roxy Lalonde sit out on a pier, overlooking the ocean, while eating sandwiches from the cafeteria.

Neither say a word, neither really even so much as do much but sit, and look at the ocean, taking in the waves as the five moons exert their tidal forces on them.

Neither think much of anything about their alternate selves.

Roxy certainly doesn't think about how his alternate, physically older, female self is living life.

Callie certainly doesn't think about how her alternate, possibly directly previous incarnations went about their life choices.

Instead, they just sit, eating their sandwiches, quietly taking in the waves.

Roxy takes a large sip of the last of his soda, the straw making the quintessential slurping sound.

Callie giggles at the noise, and smiles brightly at the man, who wriggles his eyebrows in amusement.

Soon, they'll have to get back to work on the Replicator problem, but for now, they sit together, enjoying their break.

* * *

"Excuse me?" Your name is Morgan Carter, and you knock on the door to- well- your otherself's office. "You wanted to see me?"

Sam Carter looks up from her work and nods. "Yep."

You look around the empty office for a moment before settling in your chair. "No Argo today?"

"They're taking a lunch break with Jade and John," Sam answers.

"Oh, cool, cool," you nod. "So... uh.... What's this about?"

"Well, personally I just wanted to check in on you," Sam says. "Jolinar and I have felt like you've both been avoiding us lately?"

_[Sigh. Of course they'd think that,]_ Jolinar chuckles.

"Oh," you wince. "No, no, it's nothing like that! We haven't really been avoiding you. Not any more than we generally avoided Doctor Weir or Mikari."

"Oh?" Sam raises an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"Jimmyy and I have been trying to avoid being in front line SG-1-esque positions on purpose," you explain. "Occasionally, we get roped in anyways, but... We've left that fun stuff to John and Keiko's teams. Hanging out with the base's commanding officer on the regular generally... tends to get us involved in things we'd rather not be? If you get what I mean."

"Right," Sam nods. "I get it. We both do. I Just... we were worried that us being here made things awkward?"

"Yeah, sorry," you scratch at the back of your neck. "It's nothing personal. We just... y'know? Prefer our lives to have a little less action in it than we have had?"

"Yeah, that's-" Sam nods, again, a bit more firmly. "Yeah. We get it. We really do."

"Good, good," you nod as well.

Silence falls between you.

_[...May I?]_

_'Sure.'_

**"Um,"** Jolinar begins. **"If that's all you wanted to talk about?"**

"Oh, no!" Sam shakes her head. "It's... um... Jolinar did have a reason to want to talk with... um, you both besides... uh."

"Awkward personal alternate self relation moments?" You ask.

"Yes, that," Sam nods.

"So, ah..." You motion for her to continue on, and there's a pause...

Then, the Other Jolinar speaks.** "So, right. Important question here... What are your thoughts on the Replicator Coding Project right now?"**

**"It's..."** your Jolinar pauses.** "It's a very interesting idea, but we may have to create our own Replicator nanites in the lab to properly test these changes. Simulations only get us so far."**

**"I see. And is that... wise?"** Other Jolinar asks.

**"I honestly can't say,"** Jolinar says. **"It's not something we're set on just yet. But... it may be the only option we have."**

**"Understandable,"** Other Jolinar nods. **"Keep us in the loop if you get to that point, please?"**

"We will," you say.

* * *

"One has to wonder," Aradia Megido muses, suddenly alerting you to her presence in your work office, "what drives two versions of the same person to go through the events they do so differently?"

Your name is Tagora Gorjek, and you peer at the woman with no sheer amount of incredulity. How did she get in here without alerting you? No, more importantly, why has she chosen to lounge over the edge of your BOOKCASE'S UPPER FRAME- Upside Down- by her knees?

You choose instead to ask, "...And you choose to ask ME that? Honestly, Megido, I should be the one asking myself that."

"Hm?" Aradia glances at you. "Why's that?"

"Don't play dumb," you say. "You know as well as I why I go by 'Taajek' instead of 'Gorgor' as a short hand."

"Ohhhh! Right." Aradia blinks. And then flatly says, "The Darth Vader Ripoff wannabe you that Colonel Claire beheaded!"

"Yes, That," you shake your head. "Seriously, why he went into Genetic Research of all things instead of into the art of the Legal System, I have no idea."

"Speaking of, what'cha workin' on?" Aradia asks, tilting her head to the side.

Her hair swooshes like a pendulum from her head from the motion, like a sideways swaying waterfall made up of dark ruby chocolate curls.

"Trade Agreement for MC3-221," you answer.

"Oh! The place with the cute little flying monkey-imps!" Aradia squeals, clapping her hands. "I love that place! What are we trading them?"

"More efficient trap designs by which to Catch the little flying imps, which they intend to raise as pets to harvest their eggs," you report. "Not much unlike Earth Chickens, really. They lay the damned things every day even without fertilization."

"Eeewww," Aradia sticks her tongue out and closes her eyes in disgust. "That's gross! Why'd you tell me that for!?"

"Because you asked what I was working on," you answer. "We're also trading them modern chicken coop designs as well. Go figure. We get a local source of fresh eggs, they get to increase their farming potential."

"That sounds so boring though!" Aradia laments.

"That's probably because all the blood is rushing to your head from hanging upside down," you state. "How long have you been sitting like that anyways?"

"Half an hour," Aradia replies, flashing you a grin.

...Great, so you had her hovering over your shoulder for probably an hour before she got bored and hung herself upside down for another half hour before she got bored of that and started talking to you.

"...Don't you have a job to do somewhere?" You finally ask.

"Nope! Today's my day off!" She answers.

...Lovely.

* * *

Your name is Keiko Ayano, and you beam at Silica as you both peer over the coding you've compiled.

Everyone else with a smidgen of talent towards or experience with nanomachine coding is working on the replicator problem, you've had some free time.

So you've made a program to streamline Stargate efficiency!

"Now, if we can just convince the control room staff to let us upload it," Silica mew-ses as her cat ears flicker in consideration.

"We'll ask them to put it in with the next batch of planned system maintenance," you say.

You both start heading towards the control room from your lab.

Silica's hips swish with a flourish of energy that sends her tail swaying rapidly, more rapidly than your own does during the average walk cycle. She even hums a tune.

"Sooo... how're things between you and Minori?" you ask a question you've honestly avoided since your former teammates came to Atlantis.

"Oh, they're great!" Silica grins. "Honestly, though, who woulda thought Minori'd be so great at being a Nurse?"

"Given all the times she's had to heal us up after a scrape?" You shake your head. "Hoo. Wrong question, Sil'."

"Yeah, I suppose so." She nods. "...I'll be honest. Minori was getting kind of fed up the last few years without anything to do! We'd all just... stopped going through the mirror after you left. Everything that could go wrong was on scales we couldn't really do anything about. And now with the whole Unwritten project..."

"I'm just surprised you guys didn't come chasing after me sooner," you say.

"Yeah, well... we were committed to doing what we still could until we couldn't!" Silica sighs. "But, well..." She smiles, that dopey, goofey smile you're sure you have a mirror twin of whenever you think about Mallek. "Honestly, the change of pace coming here has just been great. No more front line Politics! Our own Room! No more just crashing in the lab and praying we don't get caught!"

"I'm still sorry about that," you say. "And not just for the first time that made me go run off like an idiot, either."

Really. Really. There were a far few too many times that you caught them being intimate. It's something you always felt embarrassed about before.

"Yeah, well... we don't have to worry about that anymore," Silica laughs. "We've got our own room! Only down side is no showers! You could have warned us!"

"Sil', half the city's livable space don't even have kitchens, let alone showers! We're lucky that every living space has a toilet hidden away somewhere!" You wonder who the hell designed Atlantis, sometimes. Which of your distant ancestors decided that no, showers or bath tubs in every room was NOT a necessity?

You and Mallek make due with the pool showers, but still. Come ON. Surely some of the Ancients complained about that back in the day. Right???

Right??

"So what you're saying is..." Silica mew-ses yet again, planting a finger to her chin and tapping thoughtfully. "It was a known problem and we oughta checked the application forms better?"

"Pretty much."

"Damn!"

* * *

"Oh, hello, Teyla!" Your name is Jade Jackson, and you smile as you run into the Athosian woman outside of the Infirmary, she seems to just be leaving.

"Hello, Jade," Teyla greets. "What brings you to the infirmary?"

"I could ask you the same thing," you giggle. "But for me, well. Just checkin' on the kid-to-be!"

"Ah," Teyla smiles. "I see. Hopefully all goes well then. As for me... my own concerns that brought me here today have been quelled."

"Something the matter?" You ask.

"I... was feeling quite ill this morning," Teyla says. "But other than having eaten something that disagreed with me last night, I am fine."

"Goootcha," you nod. Sniffing the air. "Oh! Maybe we should talk later about Athosian pregnancy tips and stuff? I'm kinda curious, and all, since, y'know."

"I see," Teyla seems shocked for a moment, then smiles warmly and nods. "Yes, that might be preferable. Shall we talk back in my room later after your appointment?"

...She knows you know what's going on here. And she's okay with that.

You grin, "Absolutely!"_ Eeee!_ This is gonna be so much fun!

* * *

"Well," your name is Doctor Jannet Fraiser, and you smile warmly at Jade. "Everything seems fine. You're doing great so far."

"Thanks, Doc," Jade smiles, wriggling her ears and swooshing her tail as she hops off of the examination bed she was sitting on. Then, she hugs you.

"Oh! Woah, what's this now?" You ask.

"I don't know if the others have said it, but... Thank you for being here, Jannet," Jade says, squeezing tight. "We missed you out here that first year."

"It's my pleasure," You hug her back, then place a hand on her head and give her a quick rub between the ears. "And I missed you all too!"

Soon enough, Jade's leaving the infirmary, and you're updating her medical history to make note of today's visit.

Some days, it seems like time moved too fast for those kids. Of course, time travel, and retconning events to flow a different way, and not to mention two years stuck in a time bubble on Abydos all factor into such a thing, but even so...

How life changes.

You remember helping Sha're, visiting her and Daniel on Abydos all those times... And then that one final time helping her to give birth to that girl, and now here she is, years older than she should be, going through the same thing.

It's nostalgic in its own way. And at the same time it feels like something out of a soap opera, with their nonsensical passage of time, always accelerating the newborn babies to kids and teens to adults faster than even a full season of time, some times.

You never could get into soap operas, really. Never had the desire for it or the time.

You always dove right into the next project after the next project, never really giving yourself time to breathe.

And to think that not too long ago you were almost dead if not for multiple mitigating circumstances, including your own clone performing surgery on you.

Oh, how Life is Strange.

* * *

"Hello," your name is Kohiru Karren, and you gaze at the girl sitting at the cafeteria table, carefully pecking away at a sandwich while reading a detective novel. "Gray, wasn't it?"

The girl, and she still looks like a girl despite how old you're told she is, looks up at you. Her eyes seem to shift subtly in the light across various shades of green. Her grey-silver hair flashes in the lighting like a mirror, hidden beneath her hood. For a moment, if you stare hard enough, you can see your own reflection, all, stunted and forever youthful.

"Miss Karren?" Gray nods. "Yes, I am Gray."

"Right, well..." You start. "I've come to the decision that you'll be taking up training as my backup pilot on the Ruby Lancer."

"Sir Waver told me to be ready for it," Gray says, "I accept."

"Alright. Cool! I'd like you to come by the gym in an hour so we can begin practicing. Please wear appropriate clothing, and, um.... if it's not too much trouble, please ditch the hood and cloak? It will just get in the way of what we're trying to do."

"I'll consider that," she nods again. "Though.. I have my own reasons for wearing it. So I may still wear it regardless."

Hrm.

"Well, we'll work on it," you say. "I'm just worried it'll get in the way or get caught on things."

"That... a good point," she nods, yet again, and then returns to her book, cheeks going red and clearly using the book as a shield instead of reading material.

...Geeze. Sometimes this girl talks so serious and others she's... just a kid in an oversized cloak. What the hell?

You know the D'ni are, like, perpetually youthful and what not, but still. This is kind of ridiculous.

* * *

_"Colonel Sheppard, Doctor Mckay, To The Control Room. NOW."_ Argo's voice cuts through the city air, and you sigh in annoyance.

"Alright, I'll be right back," you are Rodney Mckay, and you quickly get up from your chair. Your team all nod in agreement, and you head for the Control Room.

It doesn't take long for you to arrive, noting the Active Stargate, and join Sheppard, Keiko and Silica, and Argo in the control room.

"What's the situation?" you ask.

"Lorne's team was off world doing guard duty for a botany team," Keiko explains. "That's when a Jumper came through the Stargate and, well..."

She and Silica both glance towards a live transmission from off world. Major Lorne stands on screen, looking unnerved.

"Bring them in," Argo says.

Lorne, on screen, nods, and steps away.

Then, stepping into frame is a ghost from the past.

"Elizabeth," you whisper.

"Holy shit," Sheppard exclaims as his own twin joins her on screen.

_"Hello, everyone,"_ the impossible Elizabeth Weir says, smiling hopefully. _"I understand that... things have gone very differently than how I remember them."_

_"Long story short,_" the duplicate Sheppard says, _"...We got_ cloned."

"Cloned?" You ask. "How? By who?"

_"It's a long story, one we'd love to tell face to face, but..."_ Weir hesitates. _"To keep it brief. A faction of the Replicators seeking Ascension found a way to punch a hole into another reality where they never existed. They found an Atlantis and... well... Copied it. And set up shop back on the Lantea of this dimension. Which is where we were made."_

_"And is where we just escaped from,"_ Other Sheppard says.

"Escaped?" And then Sam Carter walks into the room. "What are we-" She stops, gazing at the screen, then at the rest of you. "...Clones or Parallel Dimensions?" She asks, already getting a major grasp on the situation.

"Apparently Both," Silica answers.

"Go figure," Keiko shakes her head.

_"Our Atlantis was attacked by the Replicators,"_ Impossi-Weir explains._ "Some of us barely escaped with our lives, as well as with something incredibly valuable we think you can make use of."_

"And what's that?" You ask.

_"A Computer Core that can track Replicator Ships,"_ Other Sheppard says.

"Well," your Sheppard smiles grimly. "That'd be handy."

"No shit," you say.

* * *

"Confirmed," Mckay says, "the satellite we left over Lantea confirms that another Atlantis City Ship was attacked and destroyed by a Replicator ship that left the planet a little under twelve hours ago."

"Why didn't we get notified by it?" you are now Samantha Carter, and you're feeling a bit out of the loop.

"Because we never re-established a connection with it after we moved Atlantis the last time," Mckay explains. "I had to ping it and re-establish a link just to get the backed up data on it. We just never had the time to- _anyways,_ the long and short of it is that in the time since we uprooted and left, the replicators we thought we'd destroyed on the continent managed to rebuild an Atlantis."

"And apparently started running their own little version of events to try and figure out Ascension, if we believe other me," Sheppard says.

"Well, that explains the vision I'd been given," you say. "And the other Weir. But a Reality without the Replicators? Why didn't they just stay there?"

"We'd have to go through and ask them that ourselves," Mckay says. "Look, all I know is, the data checks out. A City of Atlantis got destroyed that wasn't there when we last looked."

"We definitely need that data core," Keiko says. "If only to track the Replicators."

Jolinar nudges, and you let her speak.

**"Agreed,"** Jolinar says, nodding. **"This whole situation, as weird as it is, has given us an opportunity to gain intelligence that we'd otherwise not have."**

"I'll get my team ready to go," Sheppard says.

"Take Keiko or Silica with you," Mckay says. "I need to keep working here on the Replicator Problem. Would you believe our latest attempt at patching the nanite coding would have caused the whole of them to transform into Velociraptors? Who the hell even programmed THAT shape and form into the Nanite Coding, and I'll tell you now, it wasn't any single one of us here on Atlantis now." He shakes his head and moves to leave, muttering about, "Stupid Ancients and their fascination with recreating Jurassic Park."

Jolinar nods to Sheppard, Keiko, and Silica.** "You three have a go."**

_[Good grief, what a mess,]_ she laments in your head.

_'Agreed.'_

* * *

You are now Teyla Emmagan, and you feel so strange seeing yourself standing before you, identical in almost every way save for the single fact that her eyes are a different color.

There's a yellow hue that is not present in your own natural eye color, almost as if something was off in the raw mix of Wraith-Human genetics somewhere in the multiverse. There are some other subtle differences in the others, too- such as how the other Ronon styles his hair, or the scar that bisects the other Sheppard's right eyebrow.

And yet, that is normal for them. A reality that went down a different path than this one. And despite those differences, despite the fact that the Replicators Cloned this other you based off of another dimension's existence, there is... still a similarity.

The other you speaks of her own people with the same reverence you speak of yours. She talks about her own loved ones who last she knew were living fine and well on their own version of New Athos.

She hears your pain of having lost everyone and not yet being able to find them, and she listens as you confess to her in the privacy of this random world's forest that you are pregnant, and unsure of what you should do.

And this other you promises that she will search for your people in your stead, because she knows that even if she were to 'return' to the dimension her memories and body were sourced and cloned from, there would be another her already there.

In that world, there may not have been any kidnapping of your people, for there was no Michael, and there was no Ford seeing the script of the multiverse.

And you can't help but feel nothing but relief, because she says that as much as this dimension is similarly not hers, it is also different enough that she does not feel like she is treading on your existence by being here. And... And...

And for the first time since your people have gone missing, you feel as if you have found atleast one person. A sister you never knew you had.

* * *

Your name is John Sheppard, and you listen to the story the other you tells with a mild bit of concern.

Weir, Rodney, Ronan, Teyla, and him had realized something was wrong with the way people in Atlantis were acting. The real clue came with their accelerated healing.

To learn that Pegasus had Replicators in other dimensions had been a shock to them. That those same Replicators were at war, internally, over their own ideology was...

It had confounded them so much when the Replicator Keller had given them the tracking device for the Replicator Warships.

They cloaked a jumper, and stole away ontop of the Replicator Warship that had destroyed their Atlantis. Then, they stole a warship from the planet, and then crash landed it on another planet. From there, they took their Jumper through atleast five different Stargates before coming here incase that ship had been tracked.

That Rodney Mckay, and Keiko and Silica were currently pouring over the data on the drive, but the whole thing was... Disconcerting on so many levels.

For them and you, really.

Your own story of recent misfortunes garnered a similar reaction. And when the other you heard that Ford was the one most likely to be behind the Athosians' kidnapping...

"We'll do it," he suddenly declared. "We'll hunt Ford and the missing Athosians down and we'll bring them back to you."

The other Teyla agreed instantly. The rest of them agreed to it just as quickly.

Because when it came down to it, just because their bodies had been constructed via replicator nanites, they were still 95% flesh and blood with a shiny metal self healing factor....

And Ford with all his 'gazing at the script' nonsense? Well...

Somehow you get the feeling he's not going to see this twist coming.

* * *

Your name is Silica, and you peer over Keiko's shoulder as she calibrates Atlantis' long range sensors to use the data from this Replicator tracking ship Core.

"Aaand... There." She smiles, hitting the enter key. "That should do it."

_Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep._ Five dots appear on the long range galaxy map.

"Five ships?" You ask, "That's not So-"

_Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep_. Five more appear.

"Ten," Keiko winces. "Ten's not so-"

_Beep Beep Beep Beep. _

"Well that's-" you don't get much further.

_Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep._

"Oh Come On!" Keiko whines. Meanwhile, you close your eyes in a tired concern.

_Beep Beep Beep._

"...We are so fucked," you lament.

_Beep Beep Beep Beep._

_ **TO BE CONTINUED.** _

_Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep._

_ **"OH COME ON!"** _

_ **"Seriously!!?"** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Episode: SGA:04X11: The Lance that Shines to the Ends of the World (Part 2/3)  
\---  
The theme of this episode is Parallel Selves and Duplicates, even in the original Atlantis episode, but taken to a... Much. Higher. Level. Than canon Atlantis pulled. Even when not focusing on characters who directly have active duplicates in the story, we're using them somewhat to focus in on other duplicates and parallels. 
> 
> My favorite scene this entire episode has to be the opening hook before the Theme Song. There's something just... endlessly fascinating about watching the same events happen all over the City to different people. 
> 
> The Replicator AR-1 got killed off in canon Atlantis the same episode they were introduced. Which was a real shame. They could've used them atleast to help forwards the Ford Hunt before offing them, yknow? Still. At any rate. They get to have a bit of a longer lifespan here in this timeline.
> 
> \---
> 
> As an aside, Aradia is always such a pleasure to write for. What a crazy-fun troll, that girl!


	23. SGA:04X11: The Lance that Shines to the Ends of the World (Part 2/3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Huh. Part 2/3 is Chapter 23. That's a funny coincidence.  
Oh, what? Summary? Right.  
\---  
Part 2/3. Atlantis takes the fight directly to the Replicators.

**EARTH DATE: JANUARY 30TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 08/09/0006.**

"Don't worry?" You are Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, and you're pacing down the stairs from the Jumper bay, Ronon clipping your heels as you enter the Control Room. "How can I Not Worry!?

"We're ahead of schedule!" Ronon says. "All the settlements we've been assigned have been evacuated already. We're pulling ahead."

"Well, it's been Five Days since we got the Tracking program and you know what the D'ni say about Fives!" You say.

"Uh... Good things come in?" Ronon guesses.

"No, it's a significance thing," you say. "They and the Bahro-slash-Link-Weavers both use Base Five. All of the important Age markers in D'ni are based on multiples of five. It's the day things are most likely to start going wrong. And trust me, things are going to go wrong!"

"Like what?" Ronon asks as you make your way past everyone down to the Gate Room, which is active with people slipping through the Gate.

"I don't know!" You say. "But Teyla skipped this last jump because of something she ate, and we almost didn't get everyone off world in time."

"We had two hours before the Replicators were going to show up!" Ronon says.

"And we're cutting things way too damn close!" you say, moving out of the way of the gate to let people through unhindered. Ronon waits with you by the stairs to elsewhere in the tower. "Only the Athosians know the people on M9R-373, and convincing them about the Replicators is going to be damn near impossible without Teyla here to help!"

"The Massanians are next?" Teyla speaks, suddenly joining you both from the other direction- down the hallway you were waiting by. "Oh, this should be interesting."

"Oh, hey," you say. "Look, I'm sorry we're having to go out so much while you're feeling sick and all-"

"I am the one with the contacts, and some of these people will not listen to us without that pre-established trust," Teyla reminds you. "I am going. And I'm feeling much better right now anyways."

Suddenly, there's a burst of dirt through the eventhorizon of the stargate- along with people being flung through- everything that comes through in that moment has flames covering them somewhere, and then the eventhorizon shuts down.

"What the hell!?" You run to the Control Room, Teyla and Ronon following. "Chuck! What happened?!"

"I don't know," Chuck replies. "Lieutenant Kemp's team were leading the evacuation when we lost the connection!"

"Dial them back!" you order.

Chuck does so... but the Gate refuses to lock.

"...The replicators must have arrived early," Teyla summarizes.

"See?" You look to Ronon. "This is the kind of cutting it close I've been worried about."

Ronon grimaces. "How many people were left on that settlement?"

Teyla glances over into the Gate Room, at all the worried survivors... And she says, "By my guess? Just under two thousand."

* * *

[ **o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg)

* * *

The camera feed from the observation satellite catches the sight over New Lantea easily- several Hyperspace windows open- and through them emerge the Daedalus, the Apollo, and the Astro and Delta Megaships.

"Four ships at one," Mckay remarks, turning away from the control room monitor. "This is a first."

"It's the first time we've needed them," Jolinar says.

You and Mckay give her a look.

"Well, since we've been here at any rate," Jolinar coughs.

There's a brief pause, and then_** PVVVMMM-SHING!**_

Four people beam onto the balcony, ironically posed to be facing each other. How they timed that you don't know.

Colonel Caldwell and Colonel Ellis are expected. Tetrarch Dammek is similarly about to be as well expected. The real shocker is Colonel Joey Claire being among them.

"Colonel," Ellis greets.

"Colonel," Caldwell greets.

"Colonel," they both say to Joey, who flashes a grin.

"Colonels," she glances to you, "Colonel. Doctors. Director."

"Colonels," you greet.

**"Colonels,"** Jolinar greets.

"Uh, Tetrarch, anyone?" Dammek quips.

"Nah," Joey elbows him in the shoulder. "Dammek."

"Dammek," you greet in turn.

"Seriously?" Mckay asks, then he greets, "Tetrarch, Colonels."

"Thaaaank you!" Dammek grins.

You ignore him, and look to Joey Claire, smiling. "Have a good flight?"

She shrugs. "It was a long flight, really."

"Well, let's hope it's worth our while," Caldwell smirks. "It's good to be back, though. The Asgard are quite strange hosts to have, comparatively."

"Yeah," Carter winces. "Is their food still-?"

"It's... getting better, now that their taste buds are more complex again," Caldwell says, hesitantly. "It's probably going to be a longer recovery for their culinary tastes than their genetics, at this point. Thor sends his regards and congratulations, by the way."

"Well, that's good," Carter answers. "Also, thanks. I'll make sure to send him an email thanking him later."

"So," Ellis coughs. "I hear you have a way of tracking the Replicators?"

**"We do,"** Jolinar says, seamlessly switching topics.

"Good," Dammek says. "That oughta make finding and squashing them a lot easier."

**"Tyzias is setting up in the conference room,"** Jolinar says. **"Why don't we head that way now?"**

"Of course," Caldwell nods.

The lot of you head that way, though you hang back to talk with Joey, "So... What brings you all the way out here this time?"

"Okurii asked me to keep an eye on things," Joey explains. "We're deployed here for as long as it takes, so I agreed to be an extra set of eyes."

"And Toko?" You ask.

"Mierfa's got her for the time being. Polypa's up on the Astro keeping Tegiri company," Joey answers. "This is like, the trilogy maker of unfinished Replicator Business, so. We gotta make sure we don't get a fourth film at this point."

"God, that'd be annoying, wouldn't it?" You shake your head. "What'd even make that happen?"

"I'd place my bets on a stupid IOA rep using Asgard tech to beam a Replicator into existence out of stored memory patterns," Joey jokes in a very non joking tone.

"Let's make sure that never happens," you say.

* * *

Your name is Tyzias Entykk, and you exhale as you relase as much tension as you can before beginning your talk.

"We have a few key problems with stopping the Replicators right now," you start. "First, they're so spread out that hitting them all at once is going to be next to impossible because we don't have a device capable of Vast Glubbing the galaxy at once. Second, even if we did have them all in one place, say, their home planet, the chances of all of them being on the surface of the planet are next to impossible. There's going to be ship bound Replicators working to guard the planet and even if we disrupted the planet, the ship faring Replicators may become Immune.. Third... We've hit a dead end with a coding based shut down solution to stop the Replicators."

"A Dead End?" Ellis asks. "Then what is the point of this meeting?"

"This is," you reach into your pocket and pull out the small silver ball of inert nanites. "This is the batch of nanites that was inside Jeanie Miller, earth based, yes, but we were able to program them into leaving her body as a single congealed mass that then bricked itself by dialing up the subspace connections between them to a point that they fused together into a solid mass at a Molecular Level!"

Everyone looks to Mckay, rather than you, and he says, "What? I didn't know they did that. Hell, we didn't even program them to do that! We just told them to form into a sphere and shut down!"

"Exactly!" you say. "Reprogramming the Nanites is impossible. Ever since we've begun work on it we've run into at least ten different nightmare scenarios in the simulations where the Human Form Replicators, instead of doing what we want, suddenly transformed into a different form entirely. Giant Wasps, Velociraptors, Saber Tooth Tigers!! Programming them into shutting down results in them doing something else. We don't have the time to test and counter every scenario, so I'm proposing something else entirely."

"And what's that?" Caldwell asks.

"Right now, I have my team looking for the Nanite creation table the Ancients used when creating the human form replicators," you explain. "If we can find it, I'm proposing we use it to make a block of nanites similar to this little orb here!" You hold up the object, and twist it to gain attention on it. "And then we'll do this." With that hand, you point to the monitor, and trigger your presentation with the clicker remote in the other.

On screen, a visual matches your words as you speak.

"Instead of disrupting the bonds of the Replicator Cells, what instead we'll do is turn them up, and up, and up, causing the Replicators to effectively become self-magnetic. The pull will drag every Replicator cell in grabbing range towards the center, forming a larger and larger blob of Replicator Cells, until finally, we get everything contained into a single giant amorphous blob of silver particles."

"Won't they eventually gain control over that form and go Godzilla on us?" Mckay asks.

"Yes, my math says they'd eventually gain control over their new form and adapt," you say. "But that's exactly the point. If we can't avoid turning them into a monster we can't predict, we turn it into something we CAN. A giant target that would be stuck in place for long enough for us to blast it with enough energy to trigger a fusion sequence."

"...So if we could get them all in one place, we could make a giant version of what you've got in your hand there," Sheppard summarizes. "And then we blast it with, what? The new fancy Asgard beam weapons they installed on all of our ships?"

"That's the idea, yes," you say. "Except for the weapon we use against them, but I'll get to that in a minute. "First, the hard part is getting them all in one place."

"Okay," Joey says, sitting forwards in her seat. "How do we do that?"

"That's the stupidly easy part," you say. "We start blasting their ships to pieces."

"I like this plan," Caldwell says, sitting to attention.

"We've already demonstrated to the Wraith how powerful Hyperbeam weaponry can be," you say. "It can punch through shields, and ship armor like it's not even there. But the Replicators? They don't know that we have that. Woolsey never had any direct memories of those attacks the Replicators could borrow to understand, and even if they DID understand we had that weapon, they'd understand we only had ONE copy of it. A problem that is now solved thanks to the Asgard replicating the Crystal's functionality."

"So we catch them off guard by tracking their ships down on multiple fronts and start blasting them," Caldwell summarizes, getting the gist of it. "We destroy enough ships fast enough, they'll either start traveling in packs, or more likely be forced to regroup sooner or later, to protect their home world while they're rebuilding their fleet."

"And if we take out enough of their ships fast enough," Dammek speaks up for the first time this meeting, "then they'll be severely low in numbers, which could be safe enough for us to stall them in battle while we launch the Nanomagnet plan."

"And stall them we will," You nod. "There's... going to be a long delay before any nanites in orbit are going to get attracted to the planet's surface. The blob on the surface has to be big enough first."

"Four ships isn't going to hold off a fleet for very long, even if it is a small one," Ellis says. "How do you propose we stall them to pull this off?"

"First off, it'd be Six against a fleet if it were just us," you say. "I'd recommend we pull in the Aurora and the Tria from upgrades and repairs. We have the ability to create the Asgard beam technology now, so... we upgrade those ships to be able to use it too." You pause. "Second off, Todd has volunteered to reach out to some hives Loyal to him and see if any are willing to take one final stand against the Replicators. Best case, he thinks we can get 14 hive ships to help us with this. Worst case, at least six or seven."

"That's... quite the tall order," Ellis says. "Working with the Wraith. What if it still isn't enough?"

"It'll have to be," you say. "Our other local allies either don't have space ships, or need those ships to live on. And I don't know if we'd have enough time to call Alternia and request a small fleet of Battleships."

But you all know the IOA will never go for that. As much as their current administration has been fairly hands off since the latest bungle of theirs, you're certain that the irritated people higher up who put those annoying "Earth First-ers" in charge of things are still in play somewhere. Alternia taking a larger chunk of the military pie makes the rest of everyone else look bad.

It was a hassle enough to get the Astro and Delta dispatched to Pegasus as it was.

"What about any nanites that survive their ship explosions?" Jolinar finally asks. "We know they will shut down upon exposure to hard vacuum, but reviving them would be trivial if they survived."

"We'll collect the remains," you say. "Deposit them onto the planet when we engage the plan. It'll ensure we get rid of everything when it goes boom."

"Speaking of Boom Time," Joey coughs. "How do we make it do so?"

"We have a few options," you answer. "The first, and most direct option, is to rig the Asuran's ZPM into overload around the blob itself, forcing an energy conversion into the solid mass. About six or more ZPMs should do the trick, if the weight of the Replicator Mass doesn't crush the power grid, that is."

"Second?" Dammek asks.

"The second option is that we hit it with a single, controlled burst of energy," you say. "Funneled through a single medium- a Lance. The Ruby Lancer, to be exact, in one of its Spear Configurations."

"I know the mode," Caldwell speaks, "but the energy outputs from the Lancers power supply would never reach high enough levels, even if we were using it with the Astro-Delta Megazord."

"Yeah," Dammek agrees, "We'd only hit about half of that energy. And even then... a single point puncturing into that isn't going to do "

"The answer to that is classified," you say, "but..." You swallow, remembering the images that Gray had shown you when you'd approached Rhubee, Karren, Ruby, and her during their training this morning after you asked about Gray's explosive powers. "I have a way of making it work. But, if it doesn't... The third option is... inherently more dangerous. And a last resort."

"How dangerous?" Sheppard asks, likely knowing exactly what you're thinking about with regards to Gray's situation, at any rate.

You look to Sheppard, and say, "...Exploding Planet levels of dangerous."

"Ah," he nods. "Gotcha."

* * *

It didn't take much longer for the first stage of the plan to be put into motion.

A Replicator ship emerged from hyperspace, and immediately knew no more as a single pale blue beam of light sheered through layers of armor and shielding, and utterly destroyed the vessel.

The Apollo had done its duty, and after scanning for surviving Replicator Nanites of which there were very few from such a thorough explosion, it moved onto the next target on its list.

Elswhere, the Daedalus emerged from hyperspace just as a Replicator Ship took up orbit over an inhabited world.

The Replicator Ship turned its weapons, still charging, from the planet to the enemy ship, but did not get a chance to fire.

The Daedalus shot first, and the Replicator Ship exploded as the laser scored along its back side from nose to rear.

Meanwhile, a pair of Replicator Ships emerged from Hyperspace and began making their way towards two different inhabited worlds in the same system.

Needless to say, the sudden appearance of the Astro Megaship from hyperspace gave them pause. What was this strange ship desi-?

Four turbo laser cannon encampments atop the Astro fired off with Hyperbeams aplenty, two for each Replicator ship, red and blue coded.

Each ship split into three at diagonal angles, and each slice then violently exploded.

And elsewhere, another Replicator Battleship found itself rapidly becoming swiss cheese under the rapid fire of the Delta Megazord's Gattling guns.

"Walah, swiss cheese," Dammek quipped.

"Don't say 'walah,'" Stelsa remarked from the dash control. "That's not the right spelling or pronunciation at all."

The replicator ship exploded.

"Fine," Dammek relented. "Behold! A toasted, grilled, and thoroughly melted swiss cheese sandwich."

"Better." Stelsa allowed.

* * *

You are Teyla Emmagan, and you stand on a balcony, overlooking the ocean, as Jade Jackson joins you from inside.

"Soooo! Sounds like the first wave of the attack went well!" she says.

"That's good," you say.

"Mmh!" Jade nods.

You both stand in silence for a few moments, listening to the wind blow by and the waves lapping against the city...

"So... Are you going to tell John about this?" Jade finally asks the question you've been dancing around the past three conversations you've had on the subject of your Pregnancy.

"When things calm down and the Replicators are no longer a threat," you say. "I have no reason to go off world for the time being given an expedient disruption of the Replicator's assaults. And should the final mission come soon... I am at least appeased knowing there is another me, and another team, looking for our people."  
"Good," Jade gives you a hug.

* * *

**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 06TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 08/16/0006.**

One Week Later, and the Daedalus is returning to Atlantis from its latest mission for a resupply. As well as a mission update.

You are Tyzias Entykk, and you massage at your forehead from frustration.

The Replicator Fleet is beginning its retreat, and despite having a week of lead time, the coding problems just keep stacking up.

You can strip down a block of Replicator Cells to their most basic idea of 'combine together into shape and perform action' but... the way the coding has been crafted by the Ancients means that, paradoxically, making the cells take on the simple shape of a cube is a thousand times a thousand times harder than simply telling them to take on a human form.

But THEN there's the moral concerns.

If you suggested this to the team sooner, you're sure it'd be shot down.

As it is, you've run out of time. Sheppard, Ronon, Daraya, and Boldir escorted Todd to a Wraith Hiveship meet up, meanwhile Keiko, Silica, Touya, and Yuuki went to the Travelers to get their input.

You're out of time to make this work.

You shake your head, and bring up the template you'd crafted at the start of all of this. Your backup plan of backup plans.

Simple is better, is the motto you've all been working with. But 'simple' in this case does not refer to the shape. The more attempts at rewriting the Source Code to do what you want, the more complex the code has become. By restricting the Nanites to their most basic of elements, they can't even succeed at cohesion into a solid shape! You can't even get a perfectly generic object! Just... a perfectly generic puddle of silver bits.

So... Your simplicity in this case is not by shape, but rather, how little changes you've made to the coding.

If you pull the trigger on this... The Replicator you create won't be able to, well, Replicate. Nor will it be able to communicate with the other Replicators on their wireless subspace network... because ironically your plan works better with that change. A 1.34% increase in attraction efficiency when your Replicator can't communicate with the others.

Because, you're not enforcing a change on nanite coding that's already active elsewhere. You're creating a magnet that'll grow more powerful in the act of drawing more and more mass onto itself.

Ironically, you get the chance to make your choice in private. While most everyone else is on their lunch break, Mckay and Zelenka are suddenly called away to the Infirmary to deal with a rowdy Naquadah generator.

...You're left alone with the lab.

You close your eyes.

You inhale for five.

Hold.

Release for seven.

You decaptchalogue one of the Anti Replicator Guns you kept after retaking the City from the Replicators before. And then...

You hit the ENTER KEY.

The table before you glows with a bright light as it generates a large pool of silver substance that rapidly starts to condense together.

The basic form of a female figure appears in silver shadows on the table, then, it modifies, gaining sharper edges where false clothing is created. Finally, the silver color fades away, and a perfectly generic human woman in perfectly generic tan clothes lies on the table infront of you.

"Hello, Fran," You whisper, staring at the Replicator you just created. "I hope this isn't a mistake."

Of course it's a mistake. You already named it in the plan. PLAN FRAN. Friendly Replicator ANdroid.

But as you've already reminded yourself... You've run out of time.

And speaking of time, by the time you've called for a security guard, run all the prelim tests, and then awoken the Replicator, told her of her name and purpose, and run all the tests you need to run to ensure she'll function as intended...

Well, you've run out of time to tell anyone else because, the rest of the Science team returns from lunch, with Mckay and Zelenka heading the pack.

"...What's this?" Mckay asks, staring ahead.

"This, Rodney?" You sigh, tiredly. "This is Fran. And she's going to help us get the ball rolling."

"Hello!" The Replicator girl greets with a friendly smile.

* * *

Your name is Jolinar, Director of Atlantis, and you massage your host body's temples to mitigate the brewing headache you and Sam are both feeling.

**"Why didn't you ask us for permission?"** You finally ask.

Tyzias gives you a tired look. "I haven't had a wink of sleep in three days, Director. And we're running out of time."

_'She's right,'_ Sam says. _'And it's not like we haven't done similar things in the past.'_

You sigh. **"You're right. John's team just came back with Todd from negotiating with the Wraith. We've got Seven Hives. Keiko's team will be back any minute now, who knows how many Travelers will be wanting to help. The time to work out other solutions is... very low."**

"I know that," Tyzias says. "That's why I did it."

**"Doesn't mean we're comfortable with the idea of creating a life just to extinguish it,"** you say.

"I know," Tyzias says, shaking her head. "It's bugging me just as much as it's bugging you. But there's no other choice. This is just... one of those universal constraints we have to deal with."

_'This whole situation sucks major ass,'_ Sam gripes.

_**"I know,"**_ you close your eyes. **"We. _We_ know. This whole situation... It sucks." **You say.** "It sucks, and it's hard and we have to make this call." **You look Tyzias over, taking in her appearance. Tired, but determined to see it though.** "...Is Gray ready to take on the role we need her to?"**

"Karren told me she and Ruby are both ready to serve as backup pilots incase of emergency during the fight," Tyzias says. "But that was a few hours ago. You'll want to check in with them. At any rate, Gray says she can power the Lance at the very least, and Lord El Melloi the second vouches for its destructive capability."

**"I will check in with them, then."** You sigh. **"Alright. Get back to the lab, Tyzias. Finish up work with... Fran, was it?"** You ask. She nods.** "Make sure that this goes off smoothly."**

"As if I'd do anything else," Tyzias gets up from her chair, moving rapidly.

_[Why do i feel as if we're flunking an Ethics Course?]_ You ask.

_'Probably because we are, on some level,'_ Sam answers.

Not for the first time, either.

* * *

"Teyla!" Your name is John Sheppard, and you wave at your teammate as you spot her in the hallways. "Just the woman I was looking for!"

"Hello, John," Teyla smiles. "I heard the meeting with the Wraith was successful?"

"Todd got us seven hive ships, and Keiko's still working with the Travelers, but yeah," you nod. "We're at least set at 2 to 1 for a fight at the moment."

"That's good," Teyla nods. "Was there something else you wished to speak about?"

"Uh, yeah, I was going to ask if you thought you were feeling well enough to want to tag along on the final attack run?" You ask. "Tyzias says it should be quite the show."

"I... will have to settle for watching recorded footage," Teyla declines.

"Alright," you say, nodding in understanding. "Have you talked to Keller about-?"

"Yes, many times," Teyla nods. "Though... there is something I should talk to you about now, I suppose."

"Oh?" you ask. "What's that?"

"I was going to save this until after we'd beaten the Replicators, but..." She shakes her head. "Now is as good of a time as any, I suppose. Jade will be happy that I've told you about it at any rate."

Jade? What?

"It's not serious, is it?" You ask, growing concerned.

"It is, but not in the way you think," Teyla pauses. "...I am carrying a child."

...Oh.

_ **OH.** _

"Well," you say. "First off, Congratulations. Second off, I guess that explains why Jade's been all giggly for the last two-ish weeks."

"Thank you," Teyla nods. "And... yes, I suppose it would. I asked her not to tell anyone, until I was ready."

"So the last few bouts of-?" You plant a hand to your face. "Morning Sickness. Right. Damn it, I should've realized that after Argo went through it, and now Jade, too..."

Teyla chuckles. "Yes, I suppose part of that is why Jade realized it when she did. Though, she did tell me what sealed it for her was due to her smelling the change in hormones."

"Ah, of course," you shake your head. "Super Dog Sniffing Powers."

"Truly, the most underrated of super powers," Teyla smiles.

"Yeah." You nod. "So, uh, how long have you known, and how far along are you?"

Teyla pauses, clearly doing the math in her head. "Given that it is February... I learned mid December... I've known for about a month and a half of what Doctor Keller estimates is Four Months along, as of now."

"Four months!? Wh-" you stare at her, a bit shocked. Okay, right. So she only just found out about a month ago, and... well. You can't be hypocritical about her hiding this from people, especially if Jade found out and agreed to it. "So... Kannan, right?"

"Yes," she nods. "He's the father. He and I spent a night together early October, though... we did not expect..." She shakes her head. "Regardless. What's done is done, and my people are still missing. But, that problem Ford created can wait until the Replicators are finished."

"Well, I'm definitely not letting you go on Active Combat missions starting now," you say.

"Were the Team of us that the Replicators cloned not working to find them, I'd be inclined to argue," she says. "But... as it is... The risks are too great. Especially if Ford goes off the rails in ways Michael wouldn't have... To be the last of our people, and to risk my child before they are born? I... I can't take that risk."

You nod. "It's the safest option for now. We'll talk about this more later, alright?"

She nods as well. "Of course. Once the Replicators are taken care of..."

Teyla trails off, and you give her a hug. "Wh- John??"

"We'll get them back," you promise. "Just take care of yourself until then, alright?"

Teyla nods, and then hugs you back.

* * *

"Hyperspace window... Reading IFF," Chuck reports. "It's the Aurora, Tria, and the Traveler's Aurora class ship."

* * *

You are Keiko Ayano, and you exhale as you arrive at the Director's office.

Jolinar gives you a nod to report, and so you do.

"We've got a few Traveler ships that are on their last legs and can't be maintained well anymore, so if they get blown up or destroyed, it's not as big of a loss. Their crews are being evacuated and reduced to a skeleton crew of size. We're gonna give them transponders just incase we need to do an emergency beam out."

**"Good,"** Jolinar nods. **"Let's make sure that's not necessary, but it's good to know, just in case."**

* * *

"So, eighteen ships total," Your name is Ronon Dex, and you can't help but feel exasperated as you catch up with Teyla around the cafeteria doors. "It's going to be one hell of a show, and I'm down on the ground guarding Tyzias and Mckay while they put this plan of theirs into motion."

"We will just have to watch the recordings of the battle together then," Teyla smiles.

"Yeah," you chuckle. "Congrats on that, by the way. Kanaan right?"

"Thank you," Teyla smiles again. "Yes, he is the father."

"We are going to find him, and the rest of your people," you promise.

"I know we will," she nods. "Shall we go get something to eat before the mission, then?"

"Yes, let's," you agree. "By the way, uh, in Satedan, 'Ronon' is a good name boy or girl. Pretty, ah, Gender Neutral."

Teyla laughs. "Yes, that is something to keep in mind, isn't it?"

* * *

Eighteen ships hovered in space at the rendezvous point.

Your name is Samantha Carter, and you can't help but stare at it all. Wraith, Ancient, Traveler, Alternian, Earth... What a fleet.

"Everything okay?" Caldwell asked from the seat next to you.

"Yeah, just..." You shake your head. "It's just a lot to take in."

Caldwell nods. "I Remember when the cold war ended and we started doing joint missions with the Russians. I thought That was strange." He frowns. "Still do, honestly. Sometimes it feels like we're just waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"Hopefully... we're not waiting for too long," you say, and then receive the all clear from the fleet- every ship is ready to make the jump.

Caldwell gives the order, and you leap to the Replicator Homeworld.

* * *

The rush of hyperspace blows by the Astro Mega's front window.

Your name is Joey Claire, and you stare out at it all, wondering just how much longer this mission will take.

You're eager to get home.

"Sooo... You ready to make some shit go boom and go home?" Polypa asks, leaning against the console next to you.

"Hell yes," you say. "It'll be great to get back and rest and relax, basking in the afterglow of one hell of a big explosion."

"Poly wants Big Boom!" Polypa exclaims with an exaggerated, childish glee as she throws a fist into the air, prompting you to laugh.

"You'll get your big boom, alright," you say. "But how big it turns out... now that's the question."

You wonder what Tyzias' end goal in this is? She's the one who came up with this plan, so... what does she want from it?

You should go ask... Later, maybe.

* * *

"So... how are we doing this?" Your name is Rhubee Xaolon, and you fidgit in your chair on the Daedalus.

"Well," Karren muses. "It'll be a tight squeeze fitting all four of us into the cockpits, but we should be able to manage it just fine-"

"No, I get that," you interject, "I mean. Are we going in guns blazing? Separated? Small striker mode or large meteor busting mode?"

"Ah," Karren nods. "I see what you mean, now. Yeah. Hmm... Now that is a concern, isn't it?"

"Yeah!" You say. "I know we're holding off to Launch Spear Mode 13, but- What do we do to get to that point?"

Karren gets a devious grin on her face that you love to see, because it means she has an insane plan in mind, which means this is going to be FUN.

Ruby and Gray, on the other hand, don't seem to really appreciate it as much. But that sucks for them, because they're coming along for the ride!!

* * *

"This is quite exciting, isn't it?" Fran asks, tone happy like an excited child, staring out the window into hyperspace.

You are Rodney Mckay, and you warily answer, "It's a bit nerve-wracking. Sure."

"I look quite forward to it," Fran remarks, just as excitedly.

You look to Tyzias, who gets a look of exasperation on her face as she asks, "Why's that?"

"One always wishes to fulfill one's purpose," Fran answers. "I know my existence is to be brief, but that just makes it all the more important that I enjoy the time I have while I have it."

"...You're really... fine with all of this?" You ask.

"Why would I not be?" Fran asks, turning to look at you. "This is my reason for being. And beyond that... I know that the Others are going so far beyond any normal moral boundaries that to leave them be would be far worse in terms of lives lost than if I were to selfishly value my own existence."

You and Tyzias share a look. From you, its the look of, "Why did you give it the ability to talk?" From her, it's clearly the look of "I didn't make it philosophical on purpose!"

...Or maybe it's the look of "Stop asking the Murder Magnet philosophical questions!" It's something about Philosophy.

"Doctor Entykk, Doctor Mckay, we're approaching our target," Colonel Ellis radios. "You need to get ready."

"On our way," Tyzias replies.

You nod to Fran and start to leave, Tyzias hesitates, and you hear the Replicator ask:

"Mother?"

Tyzias nearly chokes as she stutters out a "Y-yes?"

"Good luck."

"...Yeah. You too, Fran." Tyzias answers. "Good luck.

Oh god, there's so many ways this could go sideways.

* * *

Colonel Ellis sits on the bridge of the Apollo as the fleet emerges from hyperspace, weapons hot and firing,

"Target their hyperdrives with beam weapons, and launch all 302s." He says to the man to his left. Then, the the woman on his right, "Beam the Replicator and Doctor Entykk's team down to their separate locations."

* * *

_ **PVVVM SHING!** _

Fran arrives in an isolated corridor, and looks around to get her bearings. Then, she heads off for the nearest inhabited room.

* * *

** _PVVVM SHING!_ **

Mckay, Tyzias, Ronon, and a squad of marines are beamed into the Asuran City Power Distribution Core Room.

"Fan out," Ronon orders.

"Alright," Tyzias says, bringing up her grubtop to type. "Preparing Fran for Magnet Mode."

"Good," Mckay says, getting out his tablet and connecting it to the nearest console. "Shouldn't take me more than a minute to get the ZPMs ready to overload."

* * *

Your name is Kohiru Karren, and you fidget in your seat as you wait for the automated system checks to give the all clear.

Behind you, Gray sits quietly in the much smaller and shittier passenger seat, but she doesn't seem unnerved by it.

This battle relies so much on the Ruby Lancer being everywhere and nowhere at once.

You have to be here, there, everywhere, and yet not here, not there, not anywhere. A shadow. A ninja... A Paradox.

Shrodinger's Gundam?

Nah, that just sounds silly.

The all clear checks out, and you radio such. "Karren, reporting clear."

Your radio buzzes,_ "Xaolon, reporting clear."_

_"Ruby Lancers,"_ Caldwell orders, **"LAUNCH!"**

_"Aye, sir!" _

And then the two ships launch off from the 302 bays, and move to combine.

* * *

**"GATTAI SEQUENCE!"** Karren calls out.

**"RUBY LANCER, ONLINE!"** Rhubee exclaims.

The Ruby Lancer formed, and then took off, darting left and right through the gaps in formation of a bunch of 302s one moment-

Then- _**VRRMSSH!**_\- suddenly, with a flash of gold, and a visual distortion that one could swear was a flap of golden wings, it was racing across the top of a Replicator Warship- dragging a glowing golden scythe behind it.

To everyone who had never seen the Lancer in action before, they assumed this was normal behavior. To everyone who HAD, however...

The golden light show was eerie, new, and disconcerting on a level that couldn't be quite understood. Just what aide had Tyzias gotten from the D'ni to allow such a vibrant transformation in how the Mega-PLA fought?

The answer was simle. Couched in the seat behind Kohiru Karren, the girl named Gray sat, her green eyes glowing gold, her cloak and jacket discarded safely to a sylladex, leaving her upper torso only in a wide open backed tank top. Spreading from her shoulders through that opening were two large wings, almost bat like in appearance, and glowing golden around the edges as she funneled her powers into the combined mecha...

_ **VRRMSSH!** _

The Ruby Lancer suddenly warped away from atop that Replicator Warship, and arrived around the engine area of another.

With a roar and a swing from Rhubee and Ruby, their unusually golden glowing weapon sliced through the rear Hyperdrive thrusters, preventing that Replicator Ship from escaping the battle.

...And as it so happened, one of Gray's powers included the spontaneous ability to Link.

* * *

"Mckay, Tyzias, how long until the Replicator fires off?" Caldwell asks, as the Daedalus' shield's flare and the ship rocks from an impact. "I'm not sure how long we can handle this."

Down below, Tyzias reports, "Fran's triggered the activation protocol."

[ **[Junk Stars,]** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ_WMgYCgx8)

The Friendly Replicator Android stepped into a room with several Replicator scientists, and spoke, "Hello."

**[Are the stars, Of Glittery Dreams...]**

The Replicators all looked up, confused... And then grew concerned as they realized there was a silver mist in the room drifting towards Fran at a rapid rate- one looked at his hand, and realized the mist was HIS OWN BODY.

**[I Wanna Be....]**

Before those Replicators could do anything- their forms dispersed into dust and began to swirl towards Fran.

**[Let's Go... ]**

She closed her eyes.

**[Let's Go...]**

She took her last deep breath of air as her skin turned silver.

_ **[LET'S GOOOOOOOOO!]** _

And she let out a scream as a pulse wave shot across the planet-

**[I! (I!)]**

Replicators all over were dusted-

**[WANNA! (WANNA!)]**

-And their forms began to spiral across the entire planet towards that central point.

**[I WANNA BE! (1!2!3!4!)]**

From above, the sight looked remarkably like the Alternian Aspect Symbol for Space.

**[The World is Stained Black,]**

The Delta Megazord whirled its Gattling guns, piercing holes in the weapons arrays of several Replicator Ships.

**[Even though our Breath Remains White.]**

The Astro Megazord swung its shield into place to deflect a burst of Replicator Drones sent to target the Traveler's Aurora Class Ship.

**[I wonder what has changed for us, Since the day I'd promised I'd go crush the here and now?]**

Down below, the mass of Replicators grew in size, and exploded through the building they had been contained in. The blob had grown so fast and so hard that the structure was destroyed rather than being absorbed into the mass.

The lights cut out in the power control room, and Mckay groaned. "Oh for the love of-"

**[In the corner of the night's junkyard,]**

"Caldwell, this is Tyzias," Tyzias reported. "The blob severed a power line to this facility. Plan A is a bust."

**[A voice, screamed to the extend of insanity, ]**

**_PVVVM SHING!!_ **Without much fanfare, the team was beamed back out of the Replicator Power facility.

**[Blew through without a sound.]**

The Silver blob of replicator nanites continued to grow, and grow and grow...

**[Even so, please listen to my story. Surely you ought to make it in time.]**

It pulsed with energy once more, and the effect was starting to reach high enough to hit the lowest ships in orbit.

**[ _I WANNA BE!_ Together with, Ghastly Pale Despair!]**

Silver streams burst forth from those ships, and began rocketing down towards orbit. Several Replicator Ships tried to escape, seeing what was happening, only for their hyperdrives to be targeted by the Apollo and Daedalus.

**[Pierce through it- Letting out a scream- Before everything changes!]**

Moments later, another pulse wave hit them, and the ships replicator crews were drawn down towards the planet below. The Replicators rapidly stopped trying to fight, though whether it was out of realization of the inevitable, or some foolish desire to escape, nobody could say.

**[Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go.]**

Because more pulse waves hit them moments later, and their crews began being dumped down into the giant mass of silver on the planets surface.

**[I! (I!) WANNA! (WANNA!) I WANNA BE! ]**

With that as their signal, several Wraith Ships began jumping away to Hyperspace, clearly fearing for their lives. Onboard his ship, Todd snarled, "Cowards!"

**[On a winter's night that one kid jumped down.] **

"We're going for Plan B!" Tyzias ordered. "Astro Delta Megazord! Combine!"

**[It was the wrong freedom it jumped after.]**

Hearing the command, the two Megazords began to do just that.

**[Without even understanding, What the heck evil really is,]**

"Ruby Lancer, Mode Thirteen and replace the sword when they finish!" Tyzias ordered.

"Understood!" Rhubee and Karren acknowledged.

**[That foolish me somehow admired that child.]**

And thus, the remaining Wraith and The Travelers watched as the Astro Megazord began to don the Delta Megazord as armor.

**[Since then a lot of time has already passed.]**

Meanwhile, the mass of Replicators finished growing as the nanites from the surface and the upper atmosphere finished feeding into it.

**[And even though I've certainly lived by myself-]**

The Replicators began snarling- whole sections of the bubble extending out like arms, before collapsing back down.

**[Up 'til now, I still don't understand anything!]**

They were starting to go Godzilla mode, becoming less of a blob, and more of a vaguely humanoid monstrous shape, but that was alright.

**[You have taught me softly, Even the true meaning of eternity.]**

After all, what was a giant monster without a giant robotic enemy to fight? The camera pans upwards sharply.

**[ _I WANNA BE!_ Here with you!]**

Up above, The Ruby Lancer split into its two ship forms- and each grew to their maximum size.

**[Notice it, because I am here!]**

Then- a beam of energy snapped between the two ships, and solidified into a large metal pole that the AstroDelta Megazord grabbed and spun around before striking a pose...

**[For what purpose, am I what kind of person?]**

_ **"ASTRO DETLA MEGAZORD: RUBY LANCE ARMAMENT!"** _

**[Teach me, because I'm here!]**

The AstroDelta swung the Ruby Lance up above its head as golden light gathered around the Megazord.

**[ _I WANNA BE!_ ]**

Inside the Lancer, Gray took a breath, and focused all her energies into this.  
  
**[Singing and yelling!]**

The golden energy swirled around the lance head like a spiral, almost like a giant golden drill of energy.

**[A Song of burning passion!]**

It grew in size- seeming to double as the golden light grew in intensity.

**[Our song of hope!]**

_**"MODE THIRTEEN!"**_ the four pilots of the Lancer yelled out.

**[Which won't despair of Reality!]**

Gray exclaimed the title of this attack: _** "ROHNGOMYNIAD!!"**_

**[ _I WANNA BE!_ ]**

The Astro Delta thrust the Lance forwards- unleashing a golden beam of light down onto the planet from high heaven.

**[Born on the stars of dreams!]**

The beam warped like a curve as it cut through the atmosphere, and then-

**[Then I ought to make it in time!]**

It smashed into the Replicator Mass without remorse, and smashed the mass flat against its spiraling, dril like spear head-

**[By riding on tonight's blowing wind!]**

-And it continued to press further down by pressing harshly into the ground below.

**[Let's go find the succession of this!]**

Somewhere within the mass of Replicators, Oberoth realized that there was some karmic irony in being obliterated by a shining beam of pure death from the heavens like this.

_ **[Let's go... Let's Go... Let's Go... Let's Go...]** _

And then the explosive burst of energy began burning away every Replicator Cell it came into contact with. Tendrils of explosive energy rocketed out from the point of contact in arcs.

_ **[Let's Go! Let's Go! Let's Go! Let's Go...]** _

Everyone watched on from above as the beam of golden light scoured that one point of the planet's surface... and then faded away.

**[I Wanna Be...]**

All that was left that anyone could see was a massive drill hole on the surface of the planet, from which spiraling arcs curved away from it, having torn massive trenches through the massive cityscape that covered the planet's surface.

**[Can you hear me call?]**

Gray slumped in her seat, panting for breath, and Karren quickly jumped back to check on the girl.

**[...Staying here with you...]**

The remaining Wraith Hiveships quickly escaped to Hyperspace before any of that destructive power could be turned onto them.

* * *

**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 07TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 08/17/0006.**

Your name is Joey Claire, and you sip at some coffee as everyone debriefs in the conference room.

"Well, Todd turned tail and ran, which isn't surprising, considering his fleet disbanded pretty quick," John says. "And the Travelers are... appreciative that we took the time to reach out to them."

"And their reaction to the Megazords?" Dammek asks.

"I'd imagine the Wraith have a lot on their minds," Keiko remarks. "Larrin, though, said she 'knows who to call if she ever runs into problem that needs solving by way of punching it with giant fists.' So there's that."

"They're probably pretty happy we're allies and not enemies then," Mckay says. "By the way, Tzyais? Great job figuring out how to get us the resources of that entire planet without destroying it. Who knows how much research into Post-Ancient Replicator Technology we're going to be able to pluck out of the wreckage."

"It's fine," Tyzias says, waving it off. "If anything, having access to their ships and ship yards is going to be the biggest boon."

"Just a whole fleet of Aurora Class ships just resting up there in orbit, damaged as they may be," Dammek whistles. "I know I'm going to be busy for the next few months!"

"I talked with Michael," John speaks up. "Apparently most of the time in other worlds he remembers, we just blow up the planet in the process of beating the

Replicators. So... Ford is definitely not going to see any of this coming."

"Nope," you chime in. "And that's going to cost him in the long run."

"At least we wrapped this up on schedule," Mckay smiles. "The Unwritten is scheduled to launch in about a week, I'll pop over, help them finish that, and be back again in time for the next crisis!"

"Please don't joke about that, Rodney," Sam smiles. "We still have to deal with Ford. Let's not add a new one onto our plate before we finish with him, alright?"

"I'm just saying, the timing of all of this worked out wonderfully!" Mckay says.

Honestly... you can pretty much agree on that.

* * *

Asuras, M7R-227, floats serenely in the distance. A fleet of ships hover around the planet, and its surface is marked with a spiraling space symbol.

Onboard a cloaked Puddle Jumper, observing it all, were two Replicator women.

"Our Intel was correct," the one in the pilot's chair said. "The planet has been completely cleansed of Oberoth's faction. Not even a trace of Replicator Cells remain."

"Good," the other woman in the passenger seat was a Replicator who had taken on the appearance of Jennifer Keller. "Then we can get back to work without having to look over our shoulders. As long as we stay out of the way of the actual Atlantians, and the lost prototypes believe we're dead... Ascension will be ours, someday." She sighed. "Even if it takes us a million years to achieve it..."

The cloaked Jumper turned, and left the mass grave site of the other Replicators be.

That world held nothing of interest to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the mid season finale of Atlantis Season 4, folks! HOO. This was a chapter that, while IT didn't fight me hard, IRL fought me hard to keep me from writing it faster. In the end, I think it came out fairly decent. 
> 
> The song, for those who didn't click the link (Or if the link is broken in the future) is "I Wanna Be" by the Stance Punks, the First Ending theme of the Soul Eater anime. There're a couple of reasons why I chose this song specifically for this fight, part of it was because I started rewatching Soul Eater before working on this chapter, thus the theme was in my head, and part of it was... the poignancy of the lyrics. They're a little nonsensical, and I've only ever found one translation to english used over and over again across the internet, so I did modify them a little. 
> 
> Even so, this isn't the first time I've used this song, but I feel it's far more fitting here in terms of story placement compared to the last story I used it in. (Which is also on AO3 if you're interested in it.)
> 
> \---
> 
> Some drafts had it being JUST the Ruby Lancer performing this Golden Lance Stunt, but, I realized that it didn't have a big enough impact for what I wanted for this part of the timeline. It had to be AstroDelta wielding the Lancer as, well, a Lance. we've already seen Astro using a similar MegaPla as a Shotgun, sooo... Yeah. Had to see Lancer in Lance mode. 
> 
> \---
> 
> As Gray's canonical-to-Fate duty is to wield the Lance [Rohngomyniad] and preserve its mystery, that got reflected in a narrative transferal of that power being transposed onto SG:Alternia Gray. We've seen her allude to the Spear's True Name before, once already. Rohngomyniad is, in Fate Lore, a weapon on equal power to Excalibur. They're both Noble Phantasms capable of dealing INCREDIBLE amounts of damage. And where Excaliber was a tech based weapon in this timeline based upon a Magic Sword, Rohngomyniad is something inherently a bit more Mystical and unknown.
> 
> I'd talk more about it, but that would lead to some potential spoilers for the Next Chapter: INTERMISSION: FLASHBACK: Vintage Circa 1969.
> 
> Going forwards, you'll start to get a sense of why these flashbacks are happening in this Act now, and what they're building towards. This is first of a few payoffs that should start to make things make a little more sense, I'd hope. 
> 
> Until Next time.


	24. INTERMISSION: FLASHBACK: Vintage Circa 1969.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yet more of a dangling thread gets sewn down.

**EARTH DATE: AUGUST 16TH, 1969.**

Waver Velver, Lord El Melloi the Second, grimaced as the front door bell rang loudly that morning, awakening him from his slumber. The sun was not even up yet, and worse than that, it was raining.

Waver sighed, extracting himself from his otherwise empty bed with little hesitation. It was rapidly he ensured he had his robes on, and made his way to the front door. Few dared to ring his home's door bell at this time in night, and it was usually in case of emergency.

He arrived at his front door, and opened it. Much to Waver's surprise, it was the Chief of Linking Security from the Guild of Maintainers' Earth Side guard- Chief Raven Branwen. He let her inside.

"Lord El Melloi," The Chief tilted her hat as she dislodged it for the coat rack. "My apologies for the late hour, but we have a situation that requires your presence at the main office at Catherine."

"How is that?" Waver asked.

"It's easier to explain when we're there," The Chief said.

"Allow me to get dressed, then," Waver said.

* * *

** _VRRRMMMSSSSHHHSsshhhshh..._ **

** _VRRRMMMSSSSHHHSsshhhshh..._ **

Lord El Melloi linked into the facility, dressed in his finest robes, Chief Branwen a few steps behind him.

The sun was low on the horizon in the early morning, and the desert air was a pleasant warmth for the time of year. The sudden change in humidity made Waver stall for a moment as he took a breath.

Yes, this was Earth. This was the Surface. This was the planet that the once great now fallen D'ni civilization had called home.

To think the people before him were so cowardly as to stop mere feet away from seeing the surface of their ancestral home.

Then, Chief Branwen spoke. "Less than an hour ago, the daughter of one of Atrus' Surface Contacts messaged us. A Man she had never met before rung her doorbell early in the morning, and said that his grandfather had sent him specifically to her so that he might deliver a message to you specifically."

"He asked for me by name?" Waver asked.

"Indeed," Chief Branwen nodded. "Specifically, '[Lord Waver Velvet El Melloi the Second, friend of Yeesha, daughter of Atrus,]' is who he asked for. He said it was urgent, in some regard."

"Urgent?" Waver scoffed. "I wonder what could be so urgent at this time of night?"

They made their way out of the building with the hidden link point, and down the early morning, easy going, almost empty streets to a certain house.

Chief Branwen knocked, and a young woman with D'ni features opened the door. Her hair had a strange silver-grey hue to it that almost made him think she was older than she was. But no, he knew this woman well.

When Atrus has been regathering D'ni survivors to settle Releeshan, a few D'ni survivors rather wished instead to move to the Surface instead- to install their families as vanguards to the various entrances to the D'ni caverns. One such man had married a human woman who had been acquainted with Atrus through his sometimes frequent visits to this town called Catherine.

This woman before him was Jeanne Gray, granddaughter of that D'ni man and Earth woman.

"[Hello, Lord El Melloi, Chief Branwen,]" Miss Gray said, smiling. "[You got here quick.]" She spoke English over the limited D'ni she knew.

"[Pardon the Intrusion, Miss Gray,]" Waver gave a polite smile. "[But I believe you have a house guest who wishes to speak with me?]"

Jeanne lead them into the house's kitchen, passing through hallways decorated with photos and other such nick knacks. Waver paused infront of a photograph of Jeanne's grandmother posed with Atrus and his wife and daughter- Yeesha. Yeesha's age was hard to peg, but Waver remembered that flower themed hairpin in her hair. This was her at... Six? Seven, at most.

Long before Jeanne had been born.

Mere years before Yeesha lost her older brother, Achenar.

Whoever had sent this odd, unknown man here to this house on this day certainly knew who to talk to, at least.

And whoever this odd, unknown man was, was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping at a cup of coffee. The first things that were noticed in a first glance were his golden blond locks of hair that seemed to shine in all directions despite the actual lighting source within the room, and his eyes, which gleamed green like emeralds.

The next thing to note was the almost regal facial structure- holding the promise of youth and glory and adventure... Why, Waver was keen to combine that fact with the man's other sharp, attention grabbing looks and was close to stating that he was almost certainly descended from some form of Human Royalty. Waver could have mistaken him for a King of Kings, given a different set of clothes.

As it was, the lowly, common, almost pedestrian set of farm grade clothes seemed well worn and firmly at home on this man's frame.

"[Hello,]" Waver greeted the man in English over D'ni, playing it safe, "[I am Lord El Melloi the Second. I was told you wished to speak to me?]"

"[Oh, hey,]" and the way that he talked was definitely very casual, twinged slightly with a certain flare that made one feel extremely at ease for some reason. "[Right. Hi.]" He stands, placing the coffee cup on the table, and offering his hand- almost as if requesting for a shake. "[I'm Claude. Claude Cameron. My Grandfather was Mitchel Cameron. He told me to give you this.]" and with a flourish of that outstretched hand, suddenly, there's a letter there in his grip that wasn't there before. It's sealed in an aged envelope.

Waver squinted- there had definitely been no slight of hand there. The Letter had spontaneously appeared. Still, he takes the envelope, and then shakes the outstretched hand to shake it.

Waver examines the envelope, and nearly does a double take upon recognizing his own hand writing in D'ni font.

Hesitantly, cautiously, Waver opens the envelope, and removes the letter.

It's definitely his own hand writing, and beyond that, there's a signatory note that he puts on his own hand written correspondence that to the average viewer would look like a simple sketch of a desert bird. In actuality, it's his own way of ensuring a date and time is marked for his own records to compare.  
Impossibly, the letter is dated almost Thirty Three years into the future!

Nobody could guess his system- he told everyone it was just an idle drawing he made while proof reading- so how could someone figure it out and plan ahead?

They couldn't.

With that measure of legitimacy placed into it, Waver Velvet reads a letter to himself warning that the storm on Releeshan currently is but the precursor to a much larger threat and that if he does not return immediately and order an evacuation to higher ground, then the whole settlement may be flooded by the massive storm to come raising the river levels to dangerous heights.

It also says that a Seer of Doomed Times named Cassandra helped him to ensure the letter's successful delivery.

Strangely, there is another section, however, that is written in an unfamiliar pattern, but a familiar font. It's the language of the Creatures that Yeesha has been helping to free. He recognizes it only so much as one recognizes a font style, but he can't read it. Not yet anyways. It's another code for another time. Still, the signature is still D'ni, and it reads his proper name and title. Everything checks out.

Waver pockets the letter, and eyes this Claude Cameron with confusion and concern. "[Who asked you to give me this letter?]"

"[My grandfather did,]" Claude says. "[Says it was the last thing an old friend of his gave him before she passed. He gave it to me, and said I needed to come here to deliver it, cause she said he'd know when it was time. I guess it's time then? Whatever it means, I'm just the messenger, I guess.]"

Waver nods, understanding. "[I see. thank you.]" He turns to Chief Branwen, and says, "We must return to Releeshan immediately. The storm that is brewing is more dangerous than we've thought. We must evacuate the people immediately."

His tone of voice left no room for questioning.

They had lives to save.

* * *

**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 23RD, 1969.**

The storm had come and passed, just as every bit as deadly as the letter had forewarned. There had been those who had refused to believe his warning, and they had drowned with the rising river. Unfortunate, but a sign of how worse things would have been without the timely evacuation.

Waver shook his head in disbelief as he gazed at the words warning him of the events that had just transpired.

It was hard to believe that it was possible, and yet...

Here it was.

A letter from the future that had given him the insight to change events for the better.

_ **VRRRMMMSSSSHHHSsshhhshh...** _

Waver turned in his study chair at the sound of a link, and he gave a nod to Yeesha as he saw her limp over to a chair- looking like she'd sprained her ankle and bandaged it up during some recent expedition she'd made. "Yeesha, I'm glad you could make it on such short notice."

"I came as soon as I was able," Yeesha says. "Tends-to-Roots felt it safer if I not walk until recently after the tumble I took." She eyes the letter in your hand. "Is that the letter?"

"Indeed it is," Waver offered it over, and she took it in hand easily, peering at the strange, temporally displaced object.

Yeesha frowned, held the letter at arms legnth with one hand, and murmured something quietly before snatching at the corner with her other hand and suddenly drawing forth a second piece of paper.

"What was that?" Waver asked, not even blinking at the feat, even as Yeesha handed him the split, second layer of the letter to examine..

"A dimensional folding technique I learned a year ago," Yeesha explained. "I've been planning on using it to condense the Relto Books down in size and weight, but I don't have a proper compression rate yet... This was fairly advanced in level. The post script told me to perform the removal, but until I did so, I couldn't sense the actual folding."

"I see," Waver frowned. There, too, was the same bird mark he'd crafted, but the main body of text was Not D'ni, and it was Not the language of the Least either. It was a strange mix of two different fonts entirely. One was blocky and angular, almost... Digital in design. The other was more swooping, and fanciful... Dare he say, Magical in origin.

He knew neither of these languages.

Finally, at the bottom, was a single D'ni phrase- "All in Due Time."

Waver frowned. "I suppose I'll have to learn these languages at some point." He looked to Yeesha, who was gazing over the first page of the letter. "Is there anything else?"

"I've read it over several times now," Yeesha shakes her head. "It's just the instructions for performing the reverse dimensional fold, along with the odd spattering of random sounds and words."

"What words?" Waver asked.

"The D'ni word for 'Great', the word for 'Family,' the number 25, and the color 'gray' are the real words," Yeesha intoned the words with as much gravitas the D'ni required of them. "The nonsense sounds... Ahr... Toor.... Eeeah?"

Waver fetched a sheet of paper, and offered it to her. "Copy their positions to this."

She did so, and soon, they were peering at a sheet of paper that had a strange grid like pattern in the pages. Sure, to the untrained eye, years in the future, one might make the association that it looked oddly like the pattern one might make when punching a Captchalogue Card, but it was not at all what was being truly referenced here.

Unfortunately, they would spend the next seven years trying to figure out what the pattern was without success.

It would Not be until Jeanne Gray and Claude Cameron got married and had a daughter that they figured it out.

For, you see, the girl was named Artoria Regahro Gray, named after Claude's great grandmother, and the D'ni word for "Great," used most famously in the naming of the D'ni structure: _**Regahro Tiwah- the Great Shaft**_.

Thus, the young girl's name could actually be read "Artoria The Great, of family Gray."

As for whatever role in this strange turn of fate she played, it would not manifest itself until her 25th birthday, Waver was sure of that fact.

Still... such an ominous Prophecy to lay at the feet of a child, and Waver and Yeesha knew not the languages it was written in.

"How frustrating," they would both mutter several times over the years, pondering this puzzle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MYST NOTE:  
Whether or not Jeanne's grandmother could be considered to be the Player Character of the first four Myst Games or not is open to interpretation. She could be the Stranger, or she could just be a random person from the town that Atrus happened to meet and become friends with post-Riven.  
\---  
FATE NOTES:
> 
> Jeanne's first name is a reference to Jeanne De Arc, naturally, who is also a person who Appears in Fate Lore.... There's no actual relation to THAT Jeanne with this Jeanne, save that I needed a name and she was the first one I thought of and that she also, vaguely, kinda also looks like Artoria/Saber in the face.
> 
> Similarly, Claude's name is a corruption of Nero Claudius, the Roman Emperor, who is also in Fate... Except Genderbent, and has a face almost exactly like Artoria Pendragon. Infact, Nero is ALSO A Saber Class Servant, the same Class as Mordred, and the same Class as Artoria. Fate Nero has no excuse to LOOK like Artoria though, other than fanservice. So. I'm re-genderbending her back to a he for the sake of a Meta-Gag. Were Claude a girl in this timeline he, too, would look like Artoria. 
> 
> Thus... his and Jeanne's Daughter, Gray, who we've seen through the story so far and occasionally alluded to as looking like Artoria and Mordred... Looks like Artoria and Mordred, and, infact, got named after Artoria. 
> 
> This is all, of course, one giant meta gag to the fact that Gray in Fate is *ALSO* a Saber Clone, and actually IS somewhat of a direct clone of Artoria herself, hence the freaking *family resemblance.* ...I go through some *extreme* hoops to ensure narrative causality makes sense, here, folks. Please appreciate that!  
\---  
STARGATE NOTES:
> 
> Yeah, that "Mitchel Cameron" who gave the farm to Cameron Mitchel's parents is the grandpa of this Claude Cameron guy. It'll get spelled out in the next chapter, but, this really isn't much of a spoiler here. It's really kinda obvious when one thinks about how the hell someone unknown knew where someone who could contact D'ni was, for example.
> 
> This chapter takes place on the 16th, which is 6 days after the August 10th 1969 Solar Flare that sends SG-1 back to the future, and is probably around the time that Cam himself *IS* Giving the farm to his own parents, not that they knew that at the time. Woodstock, yknow? 
> 
> All of That is to say, Cam's been a busy guy, and we also now have a hint that Mordred might have survived past whatever disastrous timeline shenanigans happened to cause this whole unstable time loop. Continuum, man. I'm getting so much plot mileage out of a Timeline I haven't even shown HAPPEN yet. 
> 
> \---  
MISC NOTES:  
The foreign Languages the note is written in are Alfheim Fae Standard Magic Font, and Ancient Lantean Block Font.
> 
> Next Chapter: MINISODE: Tea Time
> 
> In which Tyzias and Daraya talk.
> 
> \---
> 
> ALSO. Happy Halloween, Early!! :P


	25. MINISODE: Tea Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Tyzias and Daraya talk about recent events.

**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 07TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 08/17/0006.**

"So... Tyzias..." Daraya began.

You sighed. "Yes, Daraya?"

"What the Fuck was that bullshit golden spear thing?"

You look at the kettle boiling away. "Can this wait until my Tea is done?"

"Sure," Daraya relents.

You wait for the kettle to whistle, and you pour yourself a cup of fresh, hot tea. You go to sit down next to Daraya on your bed.

You take a long sip of tea, wince slightly at the temperature, and settle in.

"...This is Classified intel. No telling anyone, alright?" Daraya nods once you say that. "Okay. Gray has two power sets that we're pretending are actually one," you explain. "Only one of them was granted to her via Zillyum exposure. And the bullshit golden spear? That's not it."

Daraya stares at you for a moment. Then, she asks, "What the fuck then?"

"What the fuck indeed," you shake your head. "Her full name is Artoria Regahro Gray."

"Wait- Artoria? As in-?"

"Mordred's Momma? King Arthur? Yeah," you sip at your tea. "The name _*also*_ comes from Gray's great grand mother, from her Father's side of the family. Guy's name was Claude Cameron."

"...Fuck, like Mitchel Cameron? The guy we're pretty sure is a doomed timeline alternate of Cameron Mitchel from the current SG-1? That Cameron??" Daraya stares.

"Which also implies that Mordred also got included in that whole doomed timeline shit," you say. "Along with the other Cassandra, who we know is all tied up in the Lalonde family history. And if that Mordred still refused to use Shaper assisted transitioning before that trip got made like he has currently? And given the 1930's aren't exactly the hotbed of Earth's Trans-Awareness-And-Acceptance they are now thanks to Alternia kinda pushing that envelope forwards-" Yeah, you're welcome, earth. "-Well... Lineage can probably be traced back to Artoria through him."

"Well, shit," Daraya swore, remaining silent for several long minutes, during which you sip more at your tea. Finally, though, she speaks again, "Does that mean Mitchel and Mordred are going to hook up in our time line or, is it, like, the 'we're the last of our team from the doomed future' that John, Jade, and Argo have going?"

"Who knows," you shrug, sipping more at tea. "All I know is, I'm not going to tell anyone, and I'm sure as hell not going to ask Mitchel and Mordred if they're secretly dating behind the scenes. Not while they're still on SG-1, at any rate."

"...Okay, but that still doesn't explain the whole 'descended powers' thing," Daraya crosses her arms over her chest. "Where the fuck does that explody light show come from?"

"Nobody knows," you say, "but if I had to hedge my bets? It's one of two things. Option One is that it's one of those Noble Phantasm things from the Unending Sheppard and them all ran into. Mordred was in there with Excaliber, after all. Maybe the ability to super blast things got hard coded into his DNA and it can pass down along the line?" You shrug, sip at your tea, and then continue.

"Option Two is that it's already a genetic ability descended from whatever shenanigans got Mordred born in the first place. Ol' Andromeda Ascendants did shit to make him happen, like Nirrti and Jayni were doing, and then boom. Magic Tyke Bomb. Could be that hidden power they wanted didn't surface until a couple generations down the line. Sucks to be them, if that's the case."

"...Those kinda sound like bullshit excuses, honestly," Daraya remarks. "Like, who wrote those possibilities? Kinda sounds like shitty writing to me."

"Daraya," you look her in the eyes. "_They're just guesses._ Of course they're shitty writing bullshit excuses. I haven't had time to really THINK about this shit, what with, you know, the whole Replicator shit hanging over our heads like a fucking sword hanging by a thread."

"...Okay, you've got a point there," Daraya sighs. "It just... I'd like to know for sure, you know? It's kinda bugging me now!"

"...Yeah, well, given how all this time travel shit actually works out? We still don't know who buried that tablet with Earth's Gate Address on it on Haven. None of us have done it yet," you remind her. "We might never know because it's something one of our great great grand kids do, for example! Not everything has an answer we can be given, sometimes." you sip at your tea, and sigh. "Sometimes shit just happens and we just wind up sitting here, on a bed, sipping tea, and wondering what the hell the answer really is. But if there is an answer to be given? Honestly, We'll find out when we're meant to find out, or not. You never know. It could just be one of life's mysteries left hanging for people to philosophize over for centuries to come."

"Well... at least we've got those guesses of yours, bullshit sounding as they may be," Daraya sighs.

You finish off your tea, and stand to put the cup in the sink. "Yeah. Whatever the cause is? I'm just going to be glad that her powers exist because if they didn't, we'd have to have made the Nanite Blob attractive to the whole mass of raw Neutronium just beneath the surface and stretched on down to near the core of the planet. And then everything would've gone kaboom, and we'd never have any of their tech left over to pick through and use for our own ends."

"...So, just take it as a thing that happened and don't question the gift Muscle Beast by looking it in the mouth?" Daraya asks.

"Definitely don't question the gift Muscle Beast by looking in its mouth," you agree.

Just as you'll desperately try not to think about the last words Fran spoke to you with.

You? A mother? _**Please.**_ It'll never happen. You're not a Grub-Raising type of person, not like Joey and Mierfa and Polypa are. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some speculation on timeline stuff. As well as some idle speculation as to where Gray's magic spear bullshit came from. What's the answer? We may never know, really.  
\---  
Next Chapter: ALT:10x09/INTERMISSION: Unwritten Launch.  
\---  
HEY HEY! HAPPY HALLOWEEEEEEEEEEN!  
https://axrosspaceandtime.wordpress.com/2019/10/31/artwork-world-commute-halloween/  
^^Have some non-homestuck Halloween Artwork! ^^
> 
> HIVESWAP ACT 2 GOT ANNOUNCED TODAY! W00T!!!  
It's about dang time! XP
> 
> ...And several years too late for this story but who cares about THAT! I spy Friend Shaped Friends!!!! FRIEND SHAPED FRIENDS!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAY!
> 
> It's now listed on steam and wishlistable, which I take to mean it's near enough ready that they'll be announcing the actual release date soon.


	26. ALT:10x09/INTERMISSION: Unwritten Launch.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Unwritten launches.  
WARNING: Lots of bad people die fiery deaths.

**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 09TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 08/19/0006.**

The Unwritten was but one floor short of completion when the Aschen arrived.

A fleet of ships emerged from hyperspace on the outskirts of the solar system, as if they'd hesitated for some reason.

That reason, naturally, being the massive source of foreign particle radiation pouring from a rift above the massive construct of a vessel hanging over the remains of a thoroughly gutted planet.

To those who had seen such a thing, Earth's current appearance would resemble less a planet and more a loose, orb like framework of rock. Long Strands of rock and stone spreading, web like, between large nodes of massive rock. Were it at a smaller scale, one could almost call it twig-like, bound with mud. There was no longer any core to speak of in the planet's center.

Floating above it all was the Unwritten- a Castle Ship on scale far larger than any before it. Aincrad, were it present, would be so very, very small in comparison.

And as previously established... they were just missing the final construction touches on the final, 100th, floor.

Where the rest of the Unwritten was covered in a sleek, metallic shell, that final, pinnacle of a floor... was missing everything but the roughed in framework, making it look almost like Corinth City's dome shield when deactivated. Through it, one could see a small City of the Atlantis style architecture in place, similarly framework in nature.

Above THAT, however, was the visible presence of a massive, blue tear in space time, through which the top of a tree could be seen.

Our concerns, however, pull down towards one of the City Ships atop one of the Castle Ship's six piers.

* * *

Your name is Mikari Aiikho, and the air is quiet with tension as Mckay reports- "The Aschen are Scanning Us."

"Well, we are a planet sized Castle Ship hovering over the remains of planet Earth," you say. "That alone has to give them some pause."

Damn it. Just one floor. Just one last floor.

Couldn't they have come a day later? Hours?

You give the order. "I want the work crews on Floor 100 to devote all of their energy to completing the outer hull NOW. We'll finish the interior of the City after."

Whether you have the resources for it or not. That hull is the priority right now. You can't dimension jump without it.

That said...

"Further, notify the Planet Alchemests to begin the conversion process of the Stone Cage."

* * *

Master Shiroe of the Alfheim Battle Mages received the order, and immediately relayed it to the Alchemical work crews. The work was diverted, and all went to work finishing that outer shell immediately.

Meanwhile, clad in space suits, several Fae Alchemists crouched down to touch the remaining rock that was Earth's Remnant, and began casting their alchemic spells.

The rocks began to transform immediately from regular, stable rock into something...

Something much more volatile.

* * *

"Uh... what was that about conversion?" Mckay asks.

"Something we worked out while you were gone," you say. "We realized we had far too many left over resources to just leave be, so... I came up with an idea that let us repurpus it into something more useful."

"Well, that's-" Mckay stops as an alarm sounds. "The Aschen are hailing us," he reports. "One way transmission. Audio only, and it's on loop."

"Alright," you look to Commander Asuna Yuki, and she nods. "Let's hear them out."

_"Attention Unknown Vessel from Unknown Dimension. You are encroaching and harvesting the resources of a world under Aschen Protection. Surrender now or be destroyed. You have one hour."_

"Well, that's a bit presumptuous," Asuna remarked. "They think they already own the Earth? Wow. How dumb can they get?"

You consider your options.

One hour. Awfully generous of them.

Why?

They don't realize you're the people they were directed to harass and 'take under their wings' by the remnants of the Goa'uld. It... It doesn't make sense to them that you have this level of technology, so clearly you have to be someone unknown.

...They're scared. They don't know what you're doing here. They don't know who you are.

...Why not play it up?

"Prepare an audio message to reply, also on loop," you pause. "'Even Demons Run when Good men Go to War. So... if I were you... Run.'" That done, you take a moment, breathe, then order, "Have our contact among the Bahro relay the message to the Twisted Faction Leader of the dimensional location of his missing skin. If we're lucky, we can take out them both in one swoop."

* * *

The Aschen received that message loud and clear, and they stared, and they wondered... And they FEARED.

What kind of message was this to respond to their threat with? More than that, what the hell was that energy process happening on the remains of the planet- some kind of high energy conversion transforming normal rock into something far, far more exotic that the fleet's scanners couldn't recognize.

If this kind of unknown enemy could take an entire planet and utterly consume it down to a very minuscule shell- all resources claimed- and then subsequently transform the remnants into something ELSE entirely? What could the Aschen possibly do against such an enemy??

They relayed hurried messages back and forth between their fleet's heads and the commanders back on their home-world.

What were they to do with such a turned around threat?

They debated, and they debated, and BOY. HOWDY. DID THEY EVER DEBATE.

In the end, they debated for long enough that as the hour passed, they failed to observe the top floor of the Unwritten's outer shell flowing together like liquid being controlled via an impossible tide, and solidifying together into a solid metal shell. They also failed to observe the transformation of the remnants of Earth completing and literally resonating with unstable potential.

The Aschen Fleet DID, however, notice when a massive energy spike built up within the Unwritten's engines dwarfed all of that.

* * *

"Okay, Dimensional Drive Reactor is climbing, 30%..." Your name is Rodney Mckay, and you focus everything you have on the rapidly climbing charge of energy within the Engine Reactors.

The Aschen have noticed, their ships are moving towards Earth as Sublight speeds- maximum thrust. Why not hyperspace jump in?

...It has to be the Zillyum radiation, they're not sure how it'll interfere with their hyperspace windows.

"Charging, 50%..." You report.

"Commander Asuna!" Someone runs into the room. Who? You glance up and look. Red hair, Fae ears, brown eyes- some kind of weather themed name?? -Also wearing a uniform from the D'ni Guild of Messengers. You vaguely know her.

"Yes, Messenger Rain?" Asuna inquires.

Rain, right, that was it.

"We just received word from Alfheim's Remainers: A group of Bahro have started linking into the air above the World Tree," 'Rain' reports. "They're unafiliated, are starting to swarm the skies, and one was seen with a missing patch of skin on its left shoulder."

"About time they took the bait," Mikari summarizes. "They sure are cutting it close, though."

"When it rains it pours," you mutter without thinking. Nobody glances your way.

"Set the final timer on the Alfheim Time Bomb, and tell the Remainers to link to safety," Asuna orders Rain, who nods and rushes off to deliver that message. "Mckay- Status?"

You state at normal loudness, "Reactor at 75%. Aschen Fleet will be entering firing range in sixty seconds."

Asuna looks to Mikari, who nods, and speaks to the Unwritten at large via intercom, "Attention, UNWRITTEN. This is Mikari Aiikho. We're about to initiate a Quantum Dimensional Leap while potentially under fire. Hold onto your hats!"

"Reactor at 85%, we're going to be cutting it close," you report. "Firing range in Ten- 90%! -Five- 95%-!"

* * *

The Aschen Fleet entered firing range and began opening fire on the Dimension Crossing Castle Ship.

A Volley of lasers shot out towards the Unwritten, sweeping through space and assuredly would be making wooshing, burning noises were they cutting through atmosphere.

But as it was, the lasers seemed to slow down as the entire structure of the Unwritten glowed blue- a bright brilliant blue- before simply flicker-ZAAAAAPing out of that dimension.

The lasers continued on through at normal speeds through the place where the Castle Ship had just been, striking at the remains of the planet Earth. A very carefully designed set of remains that had been alchemicly reconstituted into a densely packed, highly volatile element that the Aschen had never encountered in their timeline.

It was a highly unstable element, you see. A synthetically derived state of Naquadah that you all should be very familiar with.

The energy blasts caught the cage of stone, and ignited the caged network of solid veins of Naquadria instantly.

The subsequent explosion of blue fire energy roared out in a sphere- consuming the Aschen Fleet instantly, and continuing on for quite some ways through the rest of the solar system- managing to carve a chunk even out of the Planet Mars with its sheer range.

And, of course, it should go without saying that the rift in space time above where the Unwritten had been parked was consumed in the blast as well. It would falter and collapse, eventually...

But not before a burst of blue Naquadria fire rained down through the matching rift over Alfheim's World Tree- Yggdrasil- and began a cosmic Reckoning upon the continent of Alfheim.

The continent's center was scorched, seared, melted, and eventually cooled into a solid chunk of rock, leaving a massive crater in the center of the landmass. The World Tree itself was nowhere to be seen after.

As for the Bahro of the Twisted Faction who had come to Alfheim? Most were spared such a Quick reckoning by means and sheer luck of having moved underground.

There were a few who had not, however, and were obliterated in the blast.

They were the lucky ones.

Down below, in the once frozen cavern of Jotunheim, the leader of this destruction seeking faction of the Bahro approached the power core of the Ancient City that had been slowly thawing out for years and years to come.

He saw his torn piece of skin hanging atop of the central device like some crude attempt at covering it with a cloth.

The Bahro so grievously wounded by Esher to the point of seeking retribution on all those who had decided to colaborate with other dimensions thought of nothing else but becoming whole as he reached out for his missing piece.

The cloth was lifted, and a small cable was torn.

A timer, thusly, was then suddenly ignored, and a fuse ignited.

Those Bahro within the formerly frozen Ancient City could only shudder in terror as a massive explosion tore through the center of the the tallest spire, destroying both it as well as a large chunk of the ice that had yet to melt away.

The exotic energy particles from the decaying dimensional jump drive flooded the cavern of Jontunheim, and its strange, curse like nature, began to affect the Bahro who survived the initial blast immediately, preventing them from being able to link away.

Thus, it was with horror then that the bio-plague hidden within a lab on that Ancient City was now released into the cavern of Jontunheim.

None who had come to see their glorious leader become whole again and lead them on a crusade of death and destruction across the universe would survive that day.

Such is the price paid for the desire to hurt others on such grand scales. Time and time again across only the countless gods know how many dimensions, the story is the same.

There are those who seek to hurt, to harm, to belittle, and to make monsters out of their enemies- often times people who simply wish to live in peace, other times, those who dare to fight back against such tyrannical desires. There are often leaders who gather, and rally, and unite under such monstrous ideals. They who seek to guide those destructive impulses to commit mass atrocities against others simply because they are different, because they do not match the idea of what 'perfection' is.

Tyrants, despots- to call them Demons would be an insult to Demons themselves- it's a brand of monstrosity that is reviled time and time again. All of it, driven by a cult like mentality, a warped, twisted perspective of what is Right and Wrong.

The sanest course of action is to burn it out before such evils can take root and spread their malevolent touch of death and violence. For the Twisted Bahro faction seeking to destroy all those who did not similarly subscribe to their wanton, violence for the sake of violence perspective... this was the case.

And as for the Aschen? Who would genocide whole races for no reason that could be understood by sane men and women across multiple dimensions?

While not all of their evils had been purged with that blast of Naquadria, those who remained would forever be afraid of a planet sized spaceship with the power to transform planets into bombs. They would cower and cower on their own home planet, slowly rebuilding their fleet of ships, and wondering if it was worth the risk of being a galactic empire.

And while their ambitions may one day have lead them again out into the stars... As fate would have it, the Aschen would restrict their future exploits of expansion to Stargate travel for the time being.

...And their first chosen planet of expansion in the wake of such a fright, ironically enough, would be a planet known in another Dimension as P3W-451. which, in this dimension as well, had already been consumed by a black hole.

Fate sometimes has a funny way of working out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: MINISODE: FLASHBACK: Time, Failure, and Change.  
\---  
I originally had the idea to make a much longer chapter fleshing out the days leading upto this event... but... I realized that was actually going to be pretty tedious to write all things considered. It's why most of the construction work was done off screen, even. 
> 
> Thus, this short and sweet segment.


	27. MINISODE: FLASHBACK: Time, Failure, and Change.

**EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 18TH, 1977.**

Yeesha cried out in anguish as her latest attempt at recreating that first accidental burst of time travel failed, once more. Her target of a small frog didn't even LINK away this time. It just continued to sit there, staring, judging.

She sunk to her knees in defeat.

How? How had she done it!? What was the key!?

She had been foolish, daring, stupid enough to try using what knowledge she had to link into the past and save her brother Achenar from his death only to have it FAIL in the most spectacular way and send her into what she was sure was a doomed future.

She had not wanted to try again after that. Not until the failure of the Tablet quest had sunk in. Not until that damned letter. Not until ARTORIA REGAHRO GRAY had been BORN.

Time Travel was INVOLVED. It was clear as day to Yeesha, as the Grower, that she HAD to figure this out. That she HAD to make this work. That... That.... DAMN IT ALL!

She had to go back in time to give that letter to the Cameron family, hadn't she? It was the only thing that made SENSE! Her accidental trip to a doomed future stated as much was possible!

What was she MISSING!?

There had to be SOMETHING. SOMETHING. Some small, seemingly unimportant piece from back then that she was forgetting.

But No. She'd waited too long to delve into these experiments again. Her memory was faulty. It had to be wrong. She had to be miss-remembering, be forgetting, SOMETHING.

That was the only explanation why she couldn't get it to work again.

...Couldn't it?

...That had to be it, unless the Tablet was actively preventing her from accessing this power. Was Calam's spectre right? Was there really no Second Chance with the Tablet quest?

Was her stupid, selfish desire to go back in time fueled not just by her desire to make this damnable letter situation make sense, or was it fueled by her wanting to warn herself about her failure? To prevent it from happening?

Was it possible that the Tablet was preventing her from accessing a power she KNEW she had?

...Was it possible that Yeesha had to wait a full further 25 years for Artoria Gray to reach Age and fulfill whatever damnable time loop was woven into her own family lineage??

...Or was it her fear of bringing back a monster like... Like Calam's murderer? Was she holding herself back?

...No. Yeesha shook her head, determinedly rising to her feet once more. She couldn't allow herself to be held back by such thoughts any longer.

She had a few more hours in today to focus on this problem. She would devote herself as fully as she could to ensuring that she did not fail. That she made the Grower Prophecy fulfilled.

She would worry about everything else after she mastered Linking Through Time properly.

Time Travel was the KEY. It was the Key to EVERYTHING.

_She was Sure of it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: SGA:04X12: Spoils of War (Part 3/3)  
\---
> 
> This chapter should be fairly self explanatory, but just in case it seems somewhat out of place, here's a quick rundown of motive:
> 
> As established in previous, earlier segments of the flashbacks: Yeesha's older brothers died when she was 10. One of them died saving her from the other, who died in the process of everything that happened. As we've seen before near the very start of these flashbacks, Yeesha has had some small part of her mind devoted to the idea of using *Some kind of power* to go back and save people.
> 
> Canon to Myst/URU Lore, with a dash of conjecture as to *whom* it was: Yeesha seems to have used Time Powers to bring a dead D'ni man back to life, who then killed Yeesha's writing mentor, Calam. 
> 
> Canon to this story: Yeesha once successfully time traveled into the future and back, but decided that, in conjunction with the above failure, it was too risky of a thing to follow through on. Now, with evidence that Time Travel is in play, and with the unsettling weight that is the idea that a young child just born is going to be cursed with the same weighty prophecy as she herself is dealing with? She's doubling back down on the Time Travel for various reasons.... But she *can't do it.*
> 
> Now, as we already know from future events in this timeline that we've already seen, Yeesha still didn't have Time Travel down properly by the time Joey went and freed the Bahro. 
> 
> This is just one of her many attempts to get it right. 
> 
> Eagle eyed viewers may note we're rapidly approaching 1980 in the flashback portion of the timeline. Why? Just think it through... just think it through... :P


	28. SGA:04X12: Spoils of War (Part 3/3)

**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 06TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 08/16/0006.**

Todd the Wraith snarled as his ship took some damage. "How much longer?" He barked out.

"The Darts are on their way back now, Cargo Secured," his first mate reported.

The Replicator Ships stalled out as their precious crew were dusted and drawn down to the surface of the planet.

"Well, tell them to hurry up! I don't think we'll have much time left before they're spotted," Todd growled out. 'This plan of mine had better be worth it,' he thought with a grimace.

Then, those two foreign spaceships transformed and combined together, summoning to them a giant spear of golden light.

Todd could sense the astonishment and disbelief from across his crew and the remaining Wraith Hiveships. There was a slightly staggering amount of fear as well.

OF course such a spectacle would catch every single one of his people off guard.

And then a shout resonated across the very fabric of space time, not caring for sound transmission laws at all:

_ **"ROHNGOMYNIAD!!"** _

A beam of golden light speared down and drilled into the silver blob of Replicator Nanites on the planet's surface.

Within moments, the entire light show faded, but all could tell that the Replicators had thoroughly been annihilated. Not even their basest of cells could have survived such a scathing, all obliterating attack.

"Th-The darts on onboard!" His first mate reported, hesitating in the face of such a power show.

"Good!" Todd ordered the jump to hyperspace. The fleet gladly obliged.

Within minutes, his crew of expert thieves arrived, carrying with them a large crate containing within it three fully charged ZPMs.

Todd sighed in relief. "Finally." He allowed himself to speak aloud. "Now we're getting somewhere."

* * *

[ **o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg)

* * *

**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 13TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 08/23/0006.**

"Welcome back, Rodney," your name is Argo Lalonde, and you greet Rodney Mckay as he steps through the Stargate, looking tired, exasperated, and ready to crash in a bed.

"Yeah, great to be back," he says, not even stopping in his single minded walk towards the nearest transporter.

"How'd the Unwritten launch go?" You ask, starting to walk after him.

"We nearly blew out the Jump Drive just making it to Corinth," he says. "Plus the fast pace work done to the 100th floor lead to some micro fissures forming on re-entry, and the city on that floor needs tons of work too." With a shake of his head, he concludes, "Too Long, Don't Read: We barely made it out of there in one piece. Did you know Mikari rigged the remains of Earth with Naquadria to explode on laser impact?"

"Wow," you whistle. "That's overkill."

"Tell me about it," Mckay grumbles. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a bed to crash in and sleep off the next six to ten hours in blissful quietness."

"You go do that then!" you say, stopping where you stand and letting him walk on.

"Thanks," he waves to you without even looking back, and rounds a corner.

"I'm... Just not going to tell him about the Wraith Cruiser," you decide, and turn to leave back for the control room.

* * *

Your name is Roxy Lalonde, and you chew on a mechanical pencil as you gaze at the transponder signal of the Puddle Jumper sent to investigate a Wraith Cruiser's Emergency Distress Becaon that had just been sitting still and firing off non stop for the last five hours.

Keiko's team is going out to investigate it along with Major Lorne's team. But what kind of thing are they walking into? It's a question for the ages. And one you're probably not going to like the answer of.

"Hey, Rox," Argo says, entering the control room. "How's it going?"

"They're about ten minutes out," you answer. "Apparently there aren't any life signs onboard."

"Well, that's concerning," Argo frowns. "Let me know if there's any update."

"Sure sure," you nod in agreement, and then once you're sure that nothing's going to chance in the next three minutes, you open your email and gaze at the message your other self sent you this morning that you've put off reading until now.

The title says it all: The kids want to come visit Atlantis again- and not just June and Rose, but Nepp and Jade as well.

The first line tells you that General O'neill's signed off on it if you're willing to take them in and keep an eye on them. Because apparently Rose has declined being responsible for any further shenanigans, and other you isn't even going to try foisting that responsibility off onto John, Jade, and Argo.

Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

Why. Why. Why.

Why are you being saddled with this? Why do the kids even WANT to come to Atlantis for in the first place?? Just because the city has a kindergarten for the kids born to the City's resident Expedition Team, doens't mean that this place is really Kid Safe for the most part? There was a reason the Athosians moved to the Alpha Site...

And honestly, maybe they should've stayed here. Could've avoided all of this 'being kidnapped' shit in the first place.

You read further on.

...What? Jude and Cassandra are coming too? With Penny? So you'd be stuck watching five kids instead of four. Why didn't she say that earlier? No, more to the point, why are Jude and Cassie--

Oh. Right. Next paragraph. "Helping with the Missing Athosian Crisis."

Lovely.

Bluuuuh... There's almost certainly no way you're not going to be doing this if Jude and Cassie are involved....

You open an email, and fire it off to Callie. Subject: "Hey! You free this weekend? (Sadly Not a Date)" and body of text... summarizing the above.

* * *

"Ow..." Sarah Gardner winces as she tests out the brace you've placed around her right wrist.

Your name is Janet Faiser, and you sigh. "Next time, Sarah, please, for your own safety, make sure to ask someone to help you move a large crate of books instead of doing it yourself." Then, you look to a tired Daniel, and stress, "You're both lucky she sprained her wrist instead of breaking it, and that the books fell down the stairs rather than onto her feet. Or else we'd be having a very different conversation right now."

Daniel sighs. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, Janet."

"Just make sure she keeps the pressure off of her wrists for the next few days," you say. "She'll be fine as long as she doesn't strain them."

"Can't I just have Minori or Kanaya accelerate the healing?" Sarah asks, with a slight pout on her face.

"If Kanaya had a firmer control over her aura, I'd approve it in a heartbeat," you say. "As for Minori, no. She's off world with Doctor Keller on the Genii homeworld to treat a minor outbreak, of what we think is Kisran fever, to make sure that it's not the corrupted strain we encountered here that broke quarantine, somehow. So you'll just have to wait. Otherwise, yes, I would have her do that in a heartbeat."

"Damn," Sarah sighs. "I'll come back and check when Minori's back then."

"That'll be in a few days," you say, a little coyly. "Because that's why I said 'keep pressure off for the next few days'. That's when Minori gets back."

You're not going to intentionally repeat Carolyn's mistake. Were the injury any worse, you would be calling Minori back immediately. As it is, Sarah's injuries are fairly minor and you've already done all you can to ensure that even if god forbid Minori were waylaid for a whole year, everything would heal up right.

Circumstances are different here. Your best healers are either waylaid by a more pressing emergency, or unavailable. Caroyln choose to to withhold treatment because of some dumb idea of morality. Honestly, you can't wait for the promised one shot Shaper Crystals to hit the market- the medical industry needs a good shakeup, and you need a reliable way to speed along healing here in Pegasus.

That said, it puts you a bit on edge being in this situation. So... once Sarah and Daniel leave, you check in on Kanaya's progress on mastering the strange healing aura powers she's manifested by absorbing Shaper.

But, alas, it's still nowhere near the fine control that Shaper once provided. How frustrating.

...If only you were on Atlantis when all of that happened. Maybe you could have changed things around just by being there. Unfortunately, your powers fall in the Doom side of things, rather than Time.

How frustrating.

* * *

Your name is Teyla Emmagan, and you and Jade Jackson are having a rather fun lunch conversation when Keiko Ayano returns from a mission, looking excited and nervous.

"Hey, Teyla, can I talk with you for a minute?" She asks, and when you agree, she lays out the situation.

The Wraith Hiveship they tracked was abandoned, damaged, but not so badly that it can't be moved elsewhere with a little nudging. And, of course, her first thoughts came to you at being able to get the thing moving.

Low risk, low effort mission to move the Wraith Hiveship somewhere closer to a stargate where it can be studied and repaired and examined.

...Why not? You agree to it. It would be good to stretch your legs, so to speak.

* * *

Your name is Jolinar, and you frown as you're called to the control room an hour after Keiko took off with Teyla for the Wraith hiveship.

"Radio transmission for you, Ma'am," Chuck reports.

**"Thank you,"** you say, then speak, **"This is Director Jolinar."**

_"Hey, Director,"_ Tyzias starts, "Soo... _We kinda found a secret Wraith facility in the destination coordinates for this Hiveship and we wanna go investigate it to see what's up. Got permission to do that?"_

_'Could be useful,'_ Sam says.

**"Of course,"** you say. **"Permission granted. Stealth Mode is a priority, however."**

"Understood!" Tyzias agrees.

* * *

All things considered, you think your alternate self and Gray are doing well in training.

Your name is Rhubee Xaolon, and despite that fact, you feel... discombobulated, is the word that comes to mind.

"Sooo..." Karren sits next to you as you both watch Gray and Ruby sparring across from you. "What's up? You look like someone kicked your dog."

"I feel... all Discombobulated," you elaborate. "IDK what else to describe it as."

"About?" Karren asks, frowning.

Your thoughts drift back to the dream you had this morning, of Gray crying beneath a bridge next to a river and Lord El Melloi standing above her... Of the dream you had two nights before that, of your Alternate Self hurling a small, round object into a temporal rift.

And of a few nights before that, of the day Karren first met Joey Claire.

"Have you had any weird dreams lately?" You ask.

Karren frowns. "...You know, I think I have, actually." She looks you dead square in the eye and asks, "Did you seriously have to work laying paving stones at some point? Under, what's his name-"

"Fozzer," you nod. "Yeah, that happened."

"Shit," Karren swears. "And did you happen to run into Xefros while-"

"While I was doing it one day? Yeah," you nod. "That also happened."

"...Well that's unusual," Karren remarks.

"I had a dream about you meeting Joey," you explain. "And then about Ruby throwing that amulet into the rift in the Daedalus, and then-"

"Gray crying next to a bridge?" Karren asks, and you nod.

"...Do you think they're-?" You don't finish the thought.

"Gray does have psychic mind linking," Karren frowns. "It's possible... we got way too linked during that fight?"

You're both silent for several long minutes, and Ruby and Gray continue to spar, unaware of your conversation.

Finally, you ask, "Who do we talk to about something like this?"

* * *

A phone buzzes. It's taken out, read, and...

"Uggghhh..." Marinette slumps into the nearest Cafeteria fridge. "Stupid Alya."

"What's wrong now?" Your name is Diemen Xicali, and you frown. As fun as that latest event had been, it was still quite the disruption of work!!

"She's trying to get another interview set up here on Atlantis and got told off for it," Marinette answered. "She's complaining to ME about it over email, as if she expects me to be able to 'work my magic' and get her a slot. She's blowing up my email inbox. Fifteen emails in five hours."

"Well, that sucks," you say. "Change your address maybe?"

"Yeah, I'm filing for a new email address after shift's over," Marinette tells you. "Still wish she'd just let it go and leave me be."

"Well, maybe I can serve her hotdogs again if she does come by again?" You offer, and Marinette smiles at that.

"Thanks, Diemen. But I think she probably learned her lesson after last time... or, well, I'd hope she did, at any rate."

You shrug. "Hotdogs are hotdogs are hot gods of the food industry. If she can't appreciate it, then that's on her."

That gets a wider smile and a small laugh.

You smile back.

Why can't the rest of the universe be as easy going as food?

You both get back to work, and you turn to the unfamiliar Cu Sidhe woman next in line and ask her what she wants to eat.

"Um.... Fish, if you have it?" she says, amber eyes gazing up at the posted menu with uncertainty, her white furred, red tipped ears flexing anxiously from the unruly mop of black hair that covers her head. Ah, yes, she must be new, or, at least, recently transferred to day shift. Either that, or it's her day off, or she's visiting a relative who works here. Any of those are possible, you suppose. She's not wearing a uniform at the moment so it's impossible to tell at a glance. You suppose you'll find out tomorrow if she shows up again.

"We've got three kinds of fish. Salt-dried Jerky, Sushi, and Chicken Fried," you list off. "All caught locally out in the ocean and prepared here in Atlantis!"

"...I'll take the Salt Dried, I guess," she answers.

"Right away," you push the order through, and Marinette gets to work retrieving that specialty. "That'll be five oh four. Cash or Account Credit?"

Or you could just ask that, really. Easy way to check, that question.

* * *

"I just can't get it, Rose!"

Your name is Rose Lalonde, and you gaze at your Wife, Kanaya, who's normally loving gaze is angrily fixated on a rather persistent Bonsai plant.

"It doesn't matter how much I tell the plant to regrow the part I cut off, it refuses to grow where It's been cut and grows everywhere else!" Kanaya complains, rambling. "If I hold the severed branch in place it refuses to mend and instead it grows a whole separate branch from the cut point! I don't understand how this power is supposed to work anymore! It's not working like how Shaper worked at all and- I just- I am so utterly frustrated! It's like trying to force a waterfall to flow upstream and instead having it turn into solid ice! How does anyone get a grasp on their powers like this?"

"Kanaya, dear, you're rambling," you interject.

"I-" She takes a moment to breathe, then nod. "Right. I'm... I'm just focusing on the impossibility of it, aren't I?"

"Almost definitely," you nod.

"...How do I do this, Rose?" she asks.

"I'm not sure it's a question I can answer," you muse. "But... if I had to guess... It's all about... working with the plant, rather than trying to tell it what to do. Less micromanaging, more careful nurturing?"

Kanaya blinks, and processes that statement. "That sounds incredibly bullshit, but it's worth a try at this point."

And so she gives it a try.

And wouldn't you know it? She succeeds.

Not an hour later, she's gotten it down to a perfect science, and went to talk with Janet about it. Soon enough, Kanaya's testing out her powers on Sarah Gardner's wrist, and healing it up rapidly.

And then your Darling Wife is back on medical duty again.

* * *

**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 14TH, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 08/24/0006.**

Your name is John Sheppard, and you frown as you're paged up to the control room.

You quickly apologize to Ronon, and make your way to the nearest transporter.

"What've we got?" you ask upon arriving in the control room, and much to your surprise, Keiko's team, Lorne's Team, and Teyla have returned sans Wraith Hiveship. "Didn't you guys leave for a Wraith Hive ship?"

And thus, they tell you of a woeful tale of how Todd stole ZPMs off of Asuras before the Replicators got Exploded, and then his backstabbing first officer suddenly turned coat, informed a Rival Queen of the ZPM possession, and then took out Todd, but not before Todd was able to leave a message for you all to find.

He, and the ZPMs, were then taken to an Ancient Wraith Cloning Facility that was massive and went on for miles beneath the surface of a random, distant planet. Teyla stayed behind with Major Lorne's team on the Hiveship while Keiko's team went down to the facility and rescued Todd.

Things went sideways.

They had to crash land Todd's damaged Hiveship into the facility to destroy the cloning facilities, and escaped via Jumper through a nearby spacegate- that Todd also went through using a Dart.

...Honestly, you're not sure what to make of this turn of events except to say, "Well. So much for studying a Wraith Hiveship."

* * *

Your name is Roxy Lalonde, and you exhale as you wait for four kids to link into the still-being-rebuilt linking room on Atlantis, slipping into a mild, medatative state borrowed from some Jaffa meditation techniques as you observe the room and just... think.

Oh, sure, the room itself has most of its structure rebuilt, but it's a vastly different style than before. Some of the D'ni who came here to Atlantis were trained in the art of stone crafting, bending, and creation.

The D'ni Uber-Rock Element called NARA has been heftily and gratuitously used here in the reconstruction of the Book Room. But the style really kind of clashes with Atlantis' existing architecture, in its own, weird kind of way.

Nara, a wonder element, hardest known rock based material that the D'ni have ever made. Stronger than even diamonds. In some places it gleams like golden metal, in others, it shimmers with a faint, dull brown-black hue.

It's all...

It stands out in the same way that having Earth born Computer servers standing next to Alternian Computer Servers standing next to Ancient Computer Terminals does. It stands out in the same way that you have MALPs and Naquadah Generators and various other technological differences does.  
It's a blending of life represented fully here in this room.

You've heard that once construction work here is finished, the D'ni stone crafters are planning on going through the rest of the City to conduct structural repairs to damaged areas, as well as going in and reinforcing areas that seem weak to damage.

Sometimes, you take it all in as metaphor. How vastly different Atlantis' culture is going to be compared to Alternia, to Corinth, to Earth, to the Unwritten, in the years to come. Sometimes Life changes rapidly, coming at you like a wrecking ball propelled by a dozen tiny rockets fueled by magic.

Sometimes... It happens slowly. Carefully. Majestically. Changed before you even realize it's happened.

Yeah. Life changes. Slowly, suddenly, all kinds of in between.

Fighting that progress and trying to go back to the way things were is impossible. No, more than that, it's dumb. It's stupid. Even if someone managed to succeed in rolling progress back to the 1600s back on Earth, it's not going to last. Everything is too far interconnected now. Too far spread out. Too far...

Too far to be able to do anything to stop the giant ball of gathered concepts and cultural ideas from continuing to roll on and absorb everything that catches its attention.

And then there's a warping of space, and those four kids appear one after another. A moment later, Jude and Cassie link in behind them- with a curious looking Penny held in Cassie's arms.

You slip out of that meditation state, and grin.

"Heyya!" You wave. "How was the trip?"

Whatever happens in the future, you have hope that it'll be bright.

You've come this far, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: INTERMISSION: FLASHBACK: Omens of the Future  
\---  
If I've done my math correctly, and my story pacing right, then after this Friday's chapter, Quarantine, there should be a grand total of 10 chapters left within this act. It's a tad higher than I'd initially expected, but it's still within the range of chapters I was estimating. Not too bad, all things considered.  
\---
> 
> It took Kanaya a while to get hold of those shaper powers, but she's gotten them down pat now. 
> 
> \---
> 
> Most of what happened with the canon plot of this episode, featuring Todd, occurred off screen and otherwise fairly similarly to the canon episode. Honestly, though, the main points got touched on- namely, the Giant Plot Hook of THREE STOLEN ZPMs. Wraith Cloning Facility? Irrelevant overall. Three stolen ZPMs, though? HOO. BOY. You'd better bet those are going to come around and cause trouble for everyone else. 
> 
> \---
> 
> We got a small bit of follow up on Marinette's side plot. Why? Eh. Just follow through, mostly. I'm still a little bitter over Canon Miraculous Alya, tbh. 
> 
> \---
> 
> Psychic Links? Assuredly that's not going to cause any kind of problems. Right now it's just a playful nod to the Master/Servant dreams that happen in Fate lore. Probably won't cause anyone any problems...
> 
> Probably.


	29. INTERMISSION: FLASHBACK: Omens of the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On one fine day on Earth, a young girl named Joey Harley was born.

**EARTH DATE: MARCH 5TH, 1980**

On one fine day on Earth, a young girl named Joey Harley was born.

This story does not deal with her, or her family; not directly, anyhow. And as a matter of fact, begins several hours before she was even born.

Four Year Old Artoria Gray lay awake in her bed in the town of Catherine, gazing up at the ceiling with a feeling much like a building explosion within her nose.

The resulting explosion of golden light that punched a hole in the ceiling when she did sneeze was entirely unexpected, and, had it not rattled the house, awoken her parents and had them come rushing into her bedroom to check on their daughter, would have seemed like the exaggeration of a child's imagination when she later recounted the tale.  
  
As it was, all three members of the Gray family stopped to gaze upwards through the hole in the ceiling, attic, and roof towards the glimmering stars and the Waning Gibbous Moon above, not that it was easy to see, what with the moon's missing edge being obscured by the burnt, curved edge of the roof.  
  
This, as it would turn out, was the first time that Artoria Gray's powers manifested.

Needless to say, within short order, the young girl was rapidly taken to Releeshan by her frightened mother, while her father made some very rapid and hasty calls to his grand father who almost certainly knew something about this.  
  


* * *

  
  
_"...She blew a hole in the ceiling with a sneeze, huh?"_  
  
"Yes, Grandfather, she did. What... what do we do?"  
  
The elderly man on the line laughed.  
  
_"What do you do!?"_ he laughed some more. _"Oh, Claude. What you do is simple. You let Destiny Take its Course. Today's a very special day, Claude. A tree's been planted. All there is left to do is wait for it to _**grow**_." _

* * *

  
Lord El Melloi the Second- a man once called Waver Velvet- gazed over the young girl sitting quietly in his study while Yeesha examined her with what she claimed were "exotic medical techniques" that she learned from "the people of the age of Serenia."  
  
Of which, Waver knew most of what she was doing was in fact not from the people of Serenia, as he recognized the subtle twists in the air of the fabric of reality, and the whispered tune she was humming, as that of the strange creatures Yeesha called The Least. The beings that the D'ni who had enslaved them called Bahro- beast people.  
  
A fitting name, if one were to be extremely literal. They had the appearance of several beasts rolled into a person like form. Were the Guild of Zoologists reformed and active, Waver was sure they would be itching to examine one of them. It was fortunate, then, that they were not.   
  
Surely, these Least, these Bahro, had another name, once upon a time, for their species. But they had forgotten it, as it had been long erased from their history as well as the D'ni's own long spanning lore.   
  
Even so, surely the power to generate an explosion with a sneeze was not related to that?   
  
Yeesha ceased of her examination with those techniques, and withdrew her blue necklace- the Memory Amulet of Serenia that she had been gifted when she was but a child.   
  
This time, silently, she held the amulet while reaching a hand out to touch young Gray's forehead.   
  
Yeesha's brow scrunched, and she held her hand to Gray's forehead for several moments more before withdrawing it and exhaling, tiredly.  
  
"Well?" Jeanne Gray, the concerned mother, asked. "...Could you see anything?"  
  
Yeesha took a moment to look Waver in the eyes, a grave look of seriousness within them. A look reserved almost exclusively for things to do with the Least and her quest to free them, but occasionally used for even more grave matters.  
  
This, no doubt, was one of them.  
  
Waver nodded.  
  
Yeesha looked the woman in the eyes next, and explained. "The power hails from far back in her family lineage. A time of Kings, Gods, Warriors, Heroes, Mages, and Villains." She hesitated. "It's woven into the very core of her being. A power, a golden light in the shape of a spear- something that was placed into the care of that family's lineage, but never surfaced until now. The conditions had never been properly met."  
  
"Why?" Waver couldn't help but ask, his curiosity getting the better of him. "What spurned its sudden surfacing? What conditions are there?"  
  
Yeesha looked at the girl, sitting so still, with confusion in her young, green eyes.   
  
For a moment in her scrying, the Memory Amulet had broken its usual pattern of deriving and divining from the past, and instead had allowed her a glimpse of the future.   
  
She had seen a desert bird of crimson plumage, flying through the air before crashing into the sand. She had seen the Tablet, in its keep, and she had seen green eyes of a mint green hue, framed by golden wings spreading from behind a feminine form- but nothing more. She had seen a flash of lightning, spreading out across a night sky into the shape of a tree, before vanishing.   
  
Yeesha dared herself to believe for a moment that instead of her, that the Watcher's Prophecies of the Grower were talking about young Artoria Gray. That she was the one destined to free the Least from their prison...  
  
But No, Yeesha squashed those thoughts away in that moment. She squashed them deep down within the recesses of her mind.  
  
She would NOT force that fate onto this young girl- not as it had been forced onto her by visions of that like. Visions her mother had had in her dreams. Visions the Watcher had penned into his books...  
  
The Letter implying Artoria Gray to have some role in obscure, future events that had somehow wound up in the hands of Artoria's father, to be delivered in a time of need. A time of a great storm...  
  
The letter was bad enough.   
  
No. Yeesha refused to allow herself to place that burden onto Artoria Gray.  
  
Yeesha would Remain as the Grower until she fulfilled the prophecy and freed the Least- free the Bahro- from their imprisonment.   
  
And so she turned to Waver Velvet and Jeanne Gray, and stated without a hint of surface level deception, "Her powers are an omen, an oracle of the future. A sign that The Grower is coming, and will do their duty..." That much was true. But now, came the lie. "But an omen, a potent sign, is all that the powers signify. I have seen it. There is another. Of that I am certain."  
  
And despite the Lie, despite the doubts Yeesha had of herself as The Grower...  
  
Somehow, she believed her own words as the truth.  
  
And at that exact moment, a grand total of Four Hours and Thirteen Minutes after Artoria Gray's powers manifested, Joey Harley was born.  
  
And in fourteen years, Joey Harley-Claire would go to Alternia, and hours after the fact, a crimson hulled Spaceship would crash into the desert.   
  
And in but a few more years after that? Joey Claire would arrive in the Garden Age of Eder Tsogahl, and would begin her quest to free the Tablet.  
  
And what's more, she would succeed.  
  
But... that Is a Story we've [ALREADY READ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17376086/chapters/41687177#workskin).

* * *

As the Gray family sat in the dining hall of Waver's house, Waver looked to Yeesha and asked, "So, what do we do about her explosive abilities, then?"

"One of us will have to train her to use them safely, and to not let them loose in ways that could cause harm," Yeesha sighed. "I do not think I am the right person for that Job, however. I do not have the... the time. You on the other hand? Didn't your last assistant quit?"  
  
"Ah, that is true," Waver sighed. "In another few years, legally, I could take her on as an assistant, but... she is too young right now. And I fear what putting such strict rules of conduct onto her would do to her developing psyche."  
  
"As if blowing up her bedroom ceiling isn't going to do damage?" Yeesha asked. "I've never seen that girl sit so still or quiet before today."  
  
Once more, Waver sighed. "Is that why you lied about what you saw to her mother? To spare her damage?"  
  
"If I hadn't, it would cause More damage than you taking her on as an assistant would cause," Yeesha allowed.  
  
"What DID you see?" Waver asked.  
  
"Exactly what I said, she is an omen of what is to come," Yeesha stuck to her story. "She is already bound into the Watcher's prophecy in that regard, more so than even the Watcher could have predicted, and so I... I do not want to put that weight onto a Child! If I take to training her, she is going to never recover any of her lost innocence."  
  
"So you're leaving it to me, then?" Waver frowned. "You know I'm not the best with children."  
  
"You'll do better than I would," Yeesha shook her head at her own failings.  
  
Somehow, she didn't think she was fit to have a child, and she was rapidly reaching the age where she likely wouldn't be able to carry one, if she hadn't already passed it without noticing.  
  
Mixed biologies could be a curse and a blessing at the same time, sometimes.  
  
Neither realized that they had a tiny spy listening to their conversation. Not until they went to talk to the family about taking Artoria Gray in as a student of Lord El Melloi and found that the girl had left for the restroom and never returned.  
  
The girl was not in the restroom, and nor was she anywhere else in the house that they could find.  
  
There was a mild panic that something had happened- fate or some other intervening force had taken her- but no, a small explosion down by a river bridge told them all they needed to know.  
  
Thus, the four adults found the young girl crying, sniffing, and occasionally exploding whatever rock caught her attention and anger.  
  
Unfortunately, after several tries, her parents couldn't get through to her, and Yeesha refused to speak any words lest she make the situation worse...   
  
And so...  
  
"Miss Gray?" Waver began to approach. "Might I ask why you're upset?"  
  
"You're gonna get rid of me!" She cried out, blowing up a rock near his feet and forcing the D'ni Lord to stop cold in his tracks. "I'm broken! Damaged! I Can't be fixed!"  
  
Waver sighed. _'Of course she would listen in and misunderstand everything.'_  
  
And thus, he began a different approach, "If you are referring to the private conversation Yeesha and I were having, I believe you missed most of it. We were discussing which option of tutelage would cause the least damage to your life as you've lived it." That was close enough of a summary of their talk, he supposed.  
  
"...Wh..what?" the girl sniffed.  
  
"Yeesha works long hours in various other worlds, and rarely returns to Releeshan unless there's an emergency," Waver explained. "Were she to teach you to control your powers, the damage to your life would be great. You would likely never see your home again for long stretches of time. Conversely, if I were to take you in as my Student, and, later, when you come of age, should you choose to accept it, the role of my Assistant, you would be able to commute to my place from your home, from your family, and continue to live the life you've lived up until today."  
  
The girl blinked her tear filled green eyes. Her silver-ish hair remained ground bound even as she tilted her head. "Huh??"  
  
Fear, anger, sadness gone, all that was left was confusion.  
  
Waver kneeled down, and extended a hand towards the girl. "Artoria Gray, I am offering you lessons by which you can control those newfound powers of yours, so that the least damage to your life can be caused. I swear to you, as Lord El Melloi the Second, that we will ensure the most minimal disruption to your life imaginable."  
The girl sniffed again, tears rolling from the corners of her eyes. "Mommy and Daddy aren't going to get rid of me?"  
  
"Of course not!" Jeanne cried out. "We'd never do that!"  
  
"I don't want to hurt anybody!" Artoria Gray cried out.  
  
"With my help, you won't," Waver promised what he felt was a long shot. "Not unless they deserve to have such a weapon pointed at them."  
  
"...I could fight bad guys?" Such a childish, simplistic view of the world. "I could be a super hero?"  
  
Waver could only think of his one long lost mentor, and smile. "Of course."  
  
And thus, slowly, Artoria Gray got to her feet, and reached a hand out to take Waver's offered grasp.   
  
And thus did another of the gears of fate lock into place, and begin to spin with the rest of the clockwork.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for any extraneous formatting errors. I think either AO3 modified its rich text editor or my webbrowser changed something in a recent update, and it's acting weird on my end all of a sudden. I can't access the spell check menu from the Rich Text Editor for instance! Not sure why its only letting me add a link when I right click on a word, or why nothing else is showing up in that menu... Also not sure why when I put in a line break my whole screen gets scrolled down to the very bottom of the page, *away* from the menu bar, either. Eh. I'm sure it'll get sorted out eventually. LOL.
> 
> \---
> 
> NEXT CHAPTER: SGA:04X13: Quarantine
> 
> \---
> 
> Remember my earlier mention of 1980 as important? *Yeah.* Here it is.
> 
> So, what happened this chapter? Yeesha misinterpreting a vision of the future, mainly, and making a VAST Miss-Assumption about who does what. 
> 
> We can also get a bit of insight more into why Yeesha was so relieved that *Joey* was the one to take up the prophecy as well. Yeesha didn't want Gray to do it, and wasn't sure SHE could do it either. Of course, Yeesha would have thrown even MORE of a fit and doubled down on the whole "I am the Grower" thing even harder if she'd known that vision was talking about a girl who was just about to be BORN. 
> 
> Time is weird, like that.


	30. SGA:04X13: Quarantine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The City of Atlantis goes on Lockdown.

**EARTH DATE: MARCH 1ST, 2003.**

**DIASPORA DATE: 09/09/0006.**

_"RUN RUN RUN RUN R**UN RUN RUN RUN RUN!!!!!!!!!"**_ Yuuki Kono, Fae of Alfheim and now member of the Atlantis Expedition yelled out as she lead the charge towards the stargate out from the forest.  
  
"I thought these people were agrarian!!" Minori yelled out as she hastily cast a glance over her shoulder.  
  
"They WERE!" Tagora Gorjek yelled, following behind her with Aradia, who was pointing back into the Treeline with her P-90 and firing off rounds without aiming. "All until SOMEONE decided to juice them with a busted Retrovirus! Someone who we shall not name names!!!"  
  
"FUCK YOU, FORD!" Aradia named a name with a statistically 50% chance of accuracy.  
  
_**"TOUYA!!!"**_ Yuuki yelled to the last team-member left at the Stargate's DHD.** "DIAL ATLANTIS! _DIAL DIAL DIAL DIAAAAL!!!"_**  
  
The Cu Sidhe nodded as he jumped up to his feet and started dialing the Stargate.  
  
The diplomatic mission team were about half way to the gate when a swarm of literal Mantis-Men burst through the tree line, bleeding the ugly yellow blood from various bullet wounds. Nothing, it seemed, would stop them in their single minded desire to consume flesh.  
  
The Stargate finished dialing.  
  
_**WAA WAA! KAWOOOOSH!**_  
  
And just like that, the army of Mantis Men suddenly shrieked in startled shock and immediately turned tail to run back into the forest.

"Holy shit! The Stargate scared them off!" Yuuki started to laugh.  
  
And then her laughter suddenly got cut short as the Stargate abruptly shut down.  
  
"...Oh that's Not good," Tagora lamented, especially as the Mantis Men began to slowly emerge from the forest again. Hesitantly.  
  
"Dial it again!" Minori yelled.  
  
"R-Right!" Touya did such.  
  
_**WAAA WAAA! KAWOOOSH!**_  
  
The Gate activated, but immediately shut down again seconds later. The mantis Men held their position at the forest, backing away.  
  
"Well, atleast it scared the mantis-men away again?" Aradia offered.  
  
"Keep dialing Atlantis!" Yuuki ordered, decaptchaloging a sword. "Until the connection stabilizes and locks keep dialing!! We can't afford to let these things get through to another world without a shield!"  
  
"Right!" Touya nodded. "We'll keep them away from the Gate by dialing it until we get a solid lock!"  
  
**_WAAA WAAAA! KAWOOOOOSH!_**  
  
And so they continued to dial.  
  
**_KAWOOOSH!_**  
  
_And Dial._  
  
**_KAWOOOOOOSH!_**  
  
_And dial _**some More!**  
  
_**KAWOOOSH!**_  
  
And each and every time the stargate shut down instantly.  
  
"What the hell is going on!?" Tagora asked, staring at the Gate. "Why can't we get a lock to Atlantis?!"  
  
"I don't know!" Touya answered. "Silica and Keiko usually handle this kind of technical stuff, not me!"  
  
**_KAWOOOOSH!_**  
  
"Oh, fuck," Minori swore. "I think I know what it is."  
  
"And what's that?" Yuuki asked.  
  
"...Someone triggered a Category Five Quarantine Lockdown," Minori's eyes glistened with fear-filled tears. "It shuts down almost every system it can and is supposed to immediately shut down any incoming wormholes as soon as they lock!"  
  
_**KAWOOOOSH!**_  
  
"WHY would you design something like that!?" Tagora asked.  
  
"No, a better question is WHO designed something like that," Aradia ventured.  
  


* * *

  
Meanwhile, in the Atlantis Infirmary, Rodney Mckay sneezed.

* * *

[ **o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg)

* * *

_**THREE HOURS EARLIER.**_  
  
"Waaaah! I felt it kick!!"   
  
Your name is Jade Jackson, and you can't help but giggle as your alternate younger self presses the side of her face up against your stomach.  
  
Apparently she just got an infantile foot to the cheek for her troubles, but it's nothing she wasn't expecting at this stage.  
  
"Well, that's what they start to do at this stage," you say. "I think? That's what I've been reading up on at any rate."  
  
"So cooool!" Jade Harley pulls away and looks up at you with an awestruck look on her face. "You're amazing!"  
  
You can't help but laugh again, and ruffle the top of her head. John, meanwhile, smiles on with a hard to describe look on his face. For the most part, he seems just as amused as you do, though there's a strange look in his eyes you can't quite place.  
  
Maybe it has to do with the fact that it's just Li'l Jade and Nepp visiting today. Apparently Li'l Rose and June decided to spend the day with Joey and company instead.  
  
Or, maybe it's annoyance at the other thing.  
  
You, little you, and John are waiting in Mckay's office for a meeting he called at the last minute and is incredibly LATE for in the mean time.  
  
"Hello, is anyone here?" And then Teyla enters the office. Much like you, it's quite obvious she's pregnant to anyone with eyes. "Oh, John, Jade... Jades, rather," she smiles.  
  
"Hi, Aunt Teyla!" Little you waves.  
  
"Hello, little one," Teyla nods. "Is Rodney here yet? He said to meet him here, but I got delayed with a transporter error. It sent me across the city to the wrong location."  
  
"He's late," John says. "He was supposed to meet us here a few minutes ago. But..."  
  
"I wonder what's delaying him?" You muse. "It's not like him to be late."  
  


* * *

  
  
"Oh my god," your name is Jenifer Keller, and you swear as you see the odd pair of a bloodied Ronon Dex and a limping Rodney Mckay enter the infirmary. "Let me guess," you point at Ronon, "Sparring Accident." To Rodney. "Slipped in the shower?"  
  
"Other way around," Ronon quips.  
  
"Yeah, I sure lost that spar with the Transporter door when it slammed shut on my foot," Mckay complains.  
  
You help Ronon settle Mckay into an infirmary bed next to the Medical Scanner, and then you examine Ronon's arm. "Seriously? You slipped in the shower? With THIS gash?"  
  
"It turned on all of a sudden when I tried getting out, after I'd already turned it off," Ronon explains. "And it turned on STRONG. Lost my balance from the pressure, caught myself on the locking mechanism."  
  
"Eeesh," you wince, gazing at the wound. "Yeah, this is going to need stitches."  
  
"What about me?" Mckay asks.  
  
"Just a minute," you say, fetching some fresh bandages to hold to Ronon's arm. "For some reason I'm the only one who came in this morning. We're understaffed."  
Mckay no doubt looks around the infirmay. "Well, that's weird. Has anyone called in sick?"  
  
"Well, Minori accompanied Tagora's diplomat team off world," you say. "That was expected. I haven't heard from anyone else today. Even Janet's missing."  
  


* * *

  
  
"Seriously?" your name is Janet Fraiser, and you glare at the unresponsive transporter. "What the hell is wrong with this thing today?"  
  
Doctor Chell Johnson grunts a similar emotion of annoyance while reading over something on her tablet from nearby.  
  
"Hell if I know," Doctor Freeman remarks as he pries open the control console. "Damned things have been malfunctioning all morning all over the city. I've just about run myself ragged trying to keep up."  
  
"Are you the only one working on it?" You ask.  
  
"No, Zelenka's working on some of them too," Freeman explains. "But, honestly, Keiko's team sure chose one hell of a day to go study Replicator Homeworld. We could use the help."  
  


* * *

You are Sam Carter, and you smile upon seeing a tired Zelenka approaching you at the transporter. "Good Morning, Raddek," you greet.  
  
"I wish," Zelenka says. "Where are you going?" he asks.  
  
**"Control room,"** Jolinar answers for you.  
  
"Ah, me too," Zelenka nods. "We can share. I just fixed this transporter earlier so it should be functioning."  
  
"Functioning?" You ask, as the transporter opens, and several people begin to exit.  
  
"Yes, yes, it's been quite the hectic morning so far," Zelenka says.  
  
"And I'm telling you, Ziggy," Doctor Gina Kae remarked as she exited, the cameraman following her sans camera. "Your fears of the Wraith copying us and making giant organic transforming hiveship robots is a pipe dream!"  
  
"But it's happened before with the Mofang, hasn't it?" Ziggy asks as he followers her out of the transporter and away elsewhere.  
  
"One enemy out of several does not a pattern make," Kae counters before they exit hearing range.  
  
"...Well, that's a disconcerting thought," you remark.  
  
_'Agreed,'_ Jolinar gives a mental nod.  
  
You and Zelenka enter the transporter.  
  


* * *

  
  
And then, All over the City, Alarm Klaxons Blare loudly.

* * *

In the transporter, Carter and Zelenka jump in surprise as the doors seal shut behind them.  
  


* * *

  
  
In the Infirmary, Keller, Mckay, and Ronon look up in shock as the doors to the room seal shut.  
  


* * *

  
  
In the hallway that Freeman, Johnson, and Fraiser were in, all hallway doors slam shut, locking them into a very small, rectangular space.  
  


* * *

  
  
In Mckay's lab, a heavy duty metal door lowers, sealing everyone inside.  
  
"What the fuck!?" John Sheppard asked.  
  


* * *

  
  
Up in the Jumper Bay, the ceiling doors suddenly retract shut with a slam, startling the two Lancer ships into a sudden landing before they crash into it.  
  


The days training exercises were almost certainly scrapped.

* * *

  
  
And in the Director's Office, Argo and Nepp are surprised as they're sealed inside, away from the control room. From the small playpen that Lizzy had been put in, the young girl begins to cry.  
  


* * *

  
  
"We're locked in," John reports as he finishes trying to pry a side door open.   
  
"Rodney, Come in," Jade radios.  
  


* * *

  
  
"This one's locked too," Keller reports as she fails at opening a door.  
  
"Same," Ronon grunts, giving up on the door he was on.   
  
"Atlantis Control, this is Rodney Mckay," Rodney tries his radio. "Please report. Repeat, please report."  
  


* * *

  
  
"Rodney, this is Sam, do you read?" Carter radios, to no avail.  
  
Zelenka sighs, closing the door console control panel. "The control mechanism is not responding. Perhaps we could try opening the door?"  
  
Carter nods, and draws upon some Tok'ra enhanced strength to try and help him pry the doors to the transporter open...  
  
But nothing works, and Zelenka curses.  
  
"Rodney, this is Sam, please respond," Carter tries again. Then...  
  
Jolinar radios instead, **"Colonel Sheppard, do you read?"**  
  
Nothing.  
  
She looks to Zelenka, and tabs the radio. **"Zelenka, do you read?"**  
  
He shakes his head. "Communications must be down. My earbud was silent."  
  
"Damn," Sam curses.  
  


* * *

  
  
“On one! Two! THREE!!”  
  
And then with all the majesty of a frightened weasel leaping out a window, the glass door to the Director’s office exploded from the inside, sending glass sprawling across the bridge connecting the office to the Control room, as a large stack of hefty books was jettisoned from within a Sylladex.  
  
Your name is Argo Lalonde, and you give a short whistle as you pause to recollect your books. “Man, that was a lot more glass than I was expecting.”  
  
Books grabbed, you grab a fussing Lizzy from her play pen, and you and your younger self gingerly step over the mess of glass you left behind breaking out.

Of all the days for the Nursery team to call in sick... It just had to be today.  
  
“Lorne! Chuck!” you call out. “What’s the situation!?”  
  


* * *

  
  
"Fuck," your name is Rodney Mckay, and you slam your head back onto a pillow. "Fucking Fucking Fuck! Quarantine Protocols got triggered."  
  
"Quarantine?" Keller asks.  
  
"Yeah, after the Kisran fever outbreak I tweeked the protocols to be a bit more proactive, right?" You explain, receiving nods from Keller and Ronon. "Right, well... Given the Transporter error that stomped my foot it's likely the quarantine's in error, and I need to check the protocols for problems. Where's the nearest networked-to-main-systems computer?"  
  
Keller looks around, and swears. "It's in the other part of the infirmary on the other side of that door," she points at the other door that you and Ronon hadn't come in through.  
  
"Oh, Great." You lament. "We're stuck."  
  
"I could blast the door down," Ronon offers.  
  
"Not a good idea," you say. "Depending on the severity of the lock down, breaching quarantine could trigger a self destruct of the entire city."  
  
"...Why would you put THAT in?" Keller asked, staring at you with a look of shock in her eyes.  
  
"It's a Category Six Lockdown feature!" you say. "Like, in case of Zombie Creating, Umbrella Corporation tiers of Bad News Plague!"  
  
"...Oh, god," Keller sits down. "I hope that's not what it is."  
  
"Why cut off Radio contact?" Ronon asks.  
  
"I didn't program it to do that at all," you say. "It has to be a glitch in the program to do with whatever the hell was going on with the Transporters."  
  
"And what if it is a real outbreak?" Keller asks.  
  
"Hell if I know!" You say. "Radios shouldn't be out at all!"  
  


* * *

  
  
"Okay, if this is a quarantine, we need to be able to get our way to the Infirmary and be ready to treat patients," your name is Janet Fraiser, and you're trying your best not to panic.  
  
"We're not getting anywhere with this," Freeman sighs as he gives up on the door. "Man, and me without my crowbar." A pause. "I could really go for Ronon's Gun right about now, actually."  
  
Chell Johnson snorts, not even looking away from her tablet.  
  


* * *

You are still Jade Jackson, and haven't stopped being Jade Jackson.  
  
"What is a Category Five outbreak?" Teyla asks, examining one of Rodney's active laptops.  
  
"Worse than categories one through four," John mutters. "Atleast it's not Category six." He sighs. "We could be here for a while."  
  
Then, he glances between you, and Teyla, and then says. "You two should probably sit down."  
  
You can't help but laugh as Teyla rolls her eyes and remarks: "If you are referring to the trend of Earth Movies where every time a lockdown like this happens and the pregnant woman goes into labor, you should feel absolved of concern, given that Jade and I are both far away from our due dates."  
  
"I know, but..." John gives an awkward smile. "Could you just please sit down to ease my mind a bit?"  
  
"Sure, Worrywort," you smile back at him.  
  
Younger you just starts exploring the lab as you and Teyla take the offered seats.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Sam Carter, and you and Zelenka both sigh as you finally manage to get a connection through the Teleporter's Computer into some small portion of the Atlantis Mainframe Operating System.  
  
"Quarantine Lockdown," you gripe.  
  
"Communications shouldn't be affected though," Zelenka frowns. "I know Rodney did say he was going to modify some of the Ancient protocols, but that seems absurd even for him."  
  
"We need to try and access more of the mainframe," you say, tapping through the tablet's access protocols.  
  
"Unfortunately access is all you'll be able to do. That tablet is configured mainly for Read-Only field diagnostics," Zelenka says.  
  
"Well, we should still be able to determine the extent of the actual lockdown," you say. "Such as whether or not we-"  
  
The program crashes out to the Tablet's desktop, revealing a background image of a pigeon.  
  
For a moment, you and Zelenka are both stunned quiet.   
  
Then, Zelenka quietly says- "Ah, sorry. That's- that's one of my pigeons."  
  
You glance at him, surprised.  
  
**"You have Pigeons?"** Jolinar asks.  
  
"I, Ah," Zelenka nods. "Yes. I raise them- as a hobby, back home?"  
  
"Well, that sounds like fun," you say.

And then Zelenka begins to go on about the Pigeons to pass the time while you work.

* * *

  
  
"...While we're here," Teyla begins suddenly. "John, I would like to talk to you for a moment about something."  
  
You glance away from keeping an eye on your younger self, wondering where this is going.  
  
"Sure," John says, giving up on yet another attempt to force a door open. "What about?"  
  
"Though I did not need to intervene," Teyla starts, "I was in close proximity to a Wraith Queen not too recently. Keiko's team did an admirable job of dispatching her, but if things had gone differently..." She pauses. "I have to ask if it is wrong to place myself in danger, before or after my child is born. It's bad enough that my child may grow up without a father, but if I were to be hurt or killed...?"  
  
"It's tough," John says. "You think I don't worry about that every time I step through the Stargate? That if something goes wrong it'd just be Jade and Argo left with Lizzy?"  
  
You wince. Yeah. That's... Not a thought you've liked to dwell on either.  
  
"How do you make peace with it?" Teyla asks.  
  
"Way I figure it," John smiles. "I'm fighting badguys, keeping them from hurting people, and by doing that, I'm not just protecting MY kids and loved ones... I'm protecting everyone eles's kids and loved ones too."  
  
Telya sighs, not quite disbelief, not quite acceptance either.  
  
"Hey," you interject. "Remember what I told you last week, Teyla!"  
  
She looks to you as you repeat yourself.  
  
"Your kid's going to have a family here to keep an eye on them, no matter what happens to you, arlgiht?" you remind her.   
  
Teyla's following smile is so very warm.   
  


* * *

  
  
"Category Five?" Zelenka asks.  
  
"The entire City?" you stare at the screen, after having gotten the program working again. "Either this disease spreads more rapidly than even the Kisran fever, or-"  
  
_**"Something's wrong,"** _Zelenka and Jolinar interject at the same time.  
  
"Yeah, look at the levels," Zelenka points at the screen. "Primary, Secondary systems! Look! Wild fluctuations in every sector! No wonder Transporters were buggy this morning."  
  
"Other systems are down, too," you realize. "Communications, Ventilation, Long Range Sensors... "  
  
"Oh! And Plumbing too! Oh, dear," Zelenka spirals into a soft mumble of curses.  
  
**"It's like the entire city's operating system is on the fritz,"** Jolinar remarks.** "This might not even be a lockdown at all. It could be a result of a system error!"**  
  
You sigh in some mild relief. "I'm sure McKay's working on this right now. It should be over soon."  
  


* * *

  
  
You are now Ronon Dex, and you're examining the room for anything you can use to pry open one of these doors.  
  
"Sooo... How's my foot?" Mckay asks.  
  
"Oh, it'll be fine if we can get Kanaya or Minori in to heal it," Keller says, no doubt finishing the scan. "But there's not much I can do for it right now with how crushed some of the ligaments and bones are. You're lucky your shoe took as much of the hit as it did. We'd have had to amputate if it wasn't there."   
  
Ah! There's an I.V. Pole! Perfect!  
  
"Hey," Keller suddenly asks. "How come your forcefield-"  
  
"Where is Kanaya anyways?" Mckay dodges the question.  
  
"...That's a very good question," Keller sighs.  
  
You take the I.V. pole and start trying to pry open the nearest door.  
  
You grunt at the strain and-   
  
SNAP!  
  
The pole breaks.  
  
"Hey!!!" Keller is suddenly at your side. "Stop that!" She grabs at your arm- bleeding again. "You tore the stitches! Gah, Honestly! I don't think I've met anyone with such a reckless sense of self preservation before!"  
  
And then she's dragging you over to a bed to get the stitches fixed.  
  
You smile at her. "Thanks."  
  
"That's NOT a Compliment," Keller counters.  
  
"If you say so," you counter her counter.  
  
“Lay down,” she orders, and you do so while she equips a pair of medical gloves.  
  
Rodney gives you a loathsome look, and you glance back at him. “What?” You ask.  
  
“What did I say about trying to break quarantine?” he asks. “Do you WANT us to go self destruct mode?”  
  
“It’s not like we have any other choice right now,” you say. “I hate sitting still and waiting.”  
  
Keller scoffs as she starts undressing your arm. “No kidding.”  
  
“Well waiting is what we have to do!” Mckay says. “We’ll just have to find some other way to pass the time that doesn’t get us hurt worse than we already are.”  
  
“Well!” Keller starts working on fixing your arm again. “Maybe we could pass the time by, I dunno, getting to know eachother better?”  
  
You study her for a moment.   
  
“What do you have in mind?” You joke-flirt, given, well, your current position with her towering above you.  
  
“Wh-” Keller’s face goes a rather bright shade of red as she realizes what she just implied. “_Oh! I didn’t mean- I mean-! Um. Talk. Like. _**Talking!**_ Is a thing! You know??”_  
  
Rodney snorts from across the room.  
  
Well, atleast he’s amused.   
  


* * *

  
  
“GOOOOOOOOD!” Your name is Gordon Freeman, and you are fucking TIRED. “I’m BORED!”  
  
“Why don’t you keep fiddling with the doors or the transporter?” Fraiser asks.  
  
“I could ‘fiddle with it’ fine. But it’s not going to get the doors open if we’re in quarantine lockdown. It’s supposed to completely lock the doors to prevent that even on level one. We’ve had people try to break quarantine before, you know! This could be Deathly Serious!”  
  
“Well, yes, I’m aware of that,” Fraiser says. “But I’m supposed to be helping Doctor Keller with medical issues. And here I am stuck here in a hallway. I feel useless.”  
  
“Look, even if I COULD get them open, I wouldn’t try!” You start rambling. “We have no idea if it's going to be okay. For all we know, Keller could already be infected! We don't even know how much of the city is in quarantine! If this is serious, and we have no reason to believe otherwise, we could be looking at a city-wide lockdown.”  
  
Fraiser crosses her arms, and Johnson actually looks up from her tablet to give you a nearly identical look to the dear doctor.  
You know that look, even before Fraiser says it.  
  
“You’re thinking of the worst case scenario here, Gordon.”  
  
“HELLO!?” you motion at the symbol embroidered on your left shoulder- ORANGE LAMBDA. “Black Mesa Survivor!! THIS IS WHAT I DO TO COPE!” you remind her. “Someone has to think ahead to the worst case, because if I *DIDN’T* I would’ve been DEAD a THOUSAND TIMES OVER! Any Situation can turn bad at a MOMENT’S NOTICE with me. I gotta be prepared!”  
  
“Any situation?” Fraiser asks. “Even the good ones?”  
  
“Hey! It doesn’t take much for anything good to turn bad. Just LOOK AT MY ENTIRE LIFE, JANET! That’s how destiny FUCKS ME OVER!” You say. “I have to be on guard. Always. You can call me a catastrophist all you want, but it’s saved my fucking LIFE more times than I can count!”  
  
Johnson finally dares to speak, “A mindset like that, and a person would live in a constant state of worry and fear.”  
  
“You forgot Despair,” you tell her. “I’d like to see you manage to survive a DAY in my life, Johnson.”  
  
“Like what?” Johnson finally asks. “Tell me. I don’t know your life. Give me a worst case scenario.”  
  
“One word,” you dredge up the first worst case scenario that comes to mind. “Ravenholm.”  
  
God, this is going to suck but you know what? She asked for it.  
  


* * *

  
  
“Well,” Zelenka summarizes. “it's definitely a malfunction, and surprisingly, it's nothing Rodney did. Look at that, I'm reading a sudden spike in power caused by an intense ionospheric storm earlier today. This new planet continues to surprise us. It is going to require some drastic recalibration to account for any future ionospheric activity, that's for sure.”  
  
“Well,” you start, “First things first we need to get to a workstation and fix it.”  
  
Zelenka sighs. “Agreed. But you know, I’m a little puzzled as to why Rodney hasn’t fixed the problem yet.”  
  
“Maybe he doesn’t have access to a computer?” you ask.  
  
“Rodney?” Zelenka asks, incredulously. “Without his computer? This I have yet to witness since I arrived on Atlantis.”  
  
“Well, whatever the cause, since there’s no outbreak, we shouldn’t have to remain stuck in here.” You say.  
  
“Beyond the doors being sealed shut...” Zelenka sighs. “How are they so heavy? They shouldn’t be that hard to force open.”  
  
Jolinar nudges. **“Could we use the tablet to access the control panel? Maybe we could figure out a way to get the doors open.”**  
  
Zelenka considers, and opens the control console for the door. “It’s doubtful it could work. There is no wireless interface, and with the Tablet’s RAM restrictions a direct line wouldn’t get us much.”  
  
You take the tablet and plug it in anyways. “Well, we have to try something.”  
  


* * *

  
  
“Life signs are all over the city, everyone is trapped like we are,” you summarize after looking at the system.  
  
“Ventilation’s down,” John confirms as he steps away from an air vent. “Which means we’re gonna be running out of air before long.”  
  
“I’ve been looking into things,” you continue. “It looks like there was a disturbance in the planet’s Ionosphere a few hours ago. The whole City’s systems got destabilized after that.”  
  
“That’d explain all the issues Teyla ran into with the Transportalizers,” John frowned.   
  
“New planet, new problems,” you agree.  
  
“There may not even be a disease outbreak,” Teyla says.  
  
“Yeah, but the city’s still on lockdown,” John frowns. “You don’t think Rodney’s not at a computer, do you?”  
  
You frown. “If he’s not at a computer, he’s not going to be able to shut it down.”  
  
“What about Doctor Zelenka or Doctor Carter?” Teyla asks.  
  
“If they could’ve, they would’ve already,” John frowns. “They probably can’t get to a computer either.”  
  
“Could anyone do it?” Teyla asks.  
  
John considers for a moment, and so do you.  
  
“Keiko, Tyzias, and Mallek are off world,” you say. “I think Morgan went too. Freeman, maybe?”  
  
“He’d need Rodney’s password,” John shakes his head. “...Wait a minute. I know Rodney’s Password.”  
  
Teyla seems surprised as she asks, “He told you his password?”  
  
“He thought I wouldn’t remember,” John squeezes between you and Teyla and types into the nearest laptop... “1, 6, 4, 3, 1, 8, 7, 9, 1, 9, 6, 8, 4, 2.”  
  
The computer beeps and accepts the password.  
  
“Oh that cheeky little man,” you giggle.  
  
“I don’t get it,” Teyla frowns.  
  
“1643 is the year Isaac Newton was born,” John explains, “1879, Einstein. And 1968-”  
  
“The year Rodney was Born,” you and Teyla say at the same time.  
  
“Never underestimate the size of that man’s ego,” John jokes, browsing through the data on the computer.   
  
“What were the other numbers?” Teyla asks.  
  
“Forty-Two,” you say. “Hitchhikers Guide. Ultimate Answer to the Life, Universe, and Everything.”  
  
“It’s a nerd thing,” John clarifies, pausing as he reads through something. “...Jade, read this please?” He points at a line. “Tell me I’m miss-reading?”  
  
You gaze at what he’s pointing at. “Oh crap.”  
  
“What is it?” Teyla asks.  
  
“Part of the lockdown program includes broadcasting a distress signal to warn approaching ships about a disease outbreak,” you swear some words that your younger self likely shouldn’t hear but oh well. “And the City’s doing it right now.”  
  
“Five by five, clear enough for the entire neighborhood to hear,” John swears as well. He types at the keyboard for a minute, and swears again. “Can’t shut it off from here. It’s saying it can only be shut down from the subspace transmitter in the control room, which means the guys upstairs either haven’t noticed or they don’t have Rodney’s password TO turn it off.”  
  
“And as long as that signal is being broadcast, Atlantis is vulnerable to discovery,” Teyla summarizes.  
  
“If it hasn’t already,” you massage at the bridge of your nose.  
  


* * *

  
  
You’re once more Argo Lalonde, and you glare at the unresponsive control screen for the Distress Beacon Subspace transmitter.  
  
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!  
  
Nothing you can do about it for now. You’ve tried all you can guess of Rodney Mckay’s password.  
  
“What’s the status on the ventilation systems?” you ask, turning away from it.   
  
“We’re working on getting it operational again, about fifty percent of the City is breathing fresh air again,” Chuck reports.   
  
“And internal radio?” You ask.  
  
Lieutenant Banks, working on that problem, shakes her head. “No. Sorry.”  
  
“Damn it.”   
  
That’s when the Stargate suddenly dials in. **WAA WAA, KAWOOOSH.**  
  
“Incoming Wormhole!” Chuck reports...  
  
And then the Gate shuts down.  
  
“Oh fuck,” you swear. “So it’s blocking incoming the same way it’s blocking outgoing?”  
  
The Gate dials in, again. Only to shut down. Again.   
  
“What the fuck is going wrong with it?” you stare at the Gate for a moment.  
  
Kawoosh. Dial in. Shut down.   
  
“Someone has to be trying to dial into Atlantis only for the connection to be failing,” Chuck guesses.  
  
Kawooosh. Dial In. Shut down.  
  
“Why the fuck would they be doing that for!?” you ask. No, you know the reason why. An offworld team has to have run into trouble, and are trying to get through.  
Shit.  
  
KAWOOSH.  
  
“That’s...”  
  
KAWOOSH.  
  
“That’s going to get annoying real fast.”  
  
KAWOOOSH.  
  
“Yeah,” Chuck agrees.   
  
KAWOOOSH.  
  
He sighs. “It really is.”  
  
You go and raise the shield just to be on the safe side in case someone starts walking by the Gate and gets caught up in the vortex.  
  
...Wait.  
  
“Nepp?” You call out. “Spot check.”  
  
“Over here!” Your younger alternate calls out from over by the window looking out over the balcony. "Lizzy's still with me!"  
  
“Okay, good,” You sigh in relief. “Just stay there and away from the Stargate, okay?”  
  
“Okay!”   
  


* * *

  
  
You are Jennifer Keller, and you pace like mad.  
  
“You know, I’m a little jealous right now, what with the busted foot,” Mckay grouches from his bed.  
  
“I just don’t like sitting around as much as Ronon does,” you say. “Especially when there’s possibly people out there who need me to help them. I feel like I’m letting them down!”  
  
“You’re not letting them down,” Ronon says.   
  
“If there’s a disease outbreak, I’m a doctor, stuck in this room!” You wheel to face him.  
  
“That’s right. Stuck.” Ronon reminds you. “It’s not your fault you can’t get to them.”  
  
“He’s right on that,” Mckay says. “Don’t put the blame on yourself.”  
  
You give a weak smile and nod. “Alright...”  
  
“You know,” Ronon begins, “you remind me of someone I used to know.”  
  
“Really?” you ask. “Someone from Sateda?”  
  
“Yeah,” Ronon says with a contemplative tone. “She put way too much pressure on herself.”  
  
“Who was she?” you ask.  
  
“She... Ah, she was someone I cared about,” he cleared his throat. “She got killed during the siege.”  
  
There’s silence for a moment, and Mckay has the good decency to not say anything.  
  
“I’m sorry to hear that,” you say.  
  
“I wanted her to leave,” Ronon says. “But she chose to stay behind and help people.” He coughs. “Well. Ah. I probably should’ve forced her to go. As it was, I got some patients out. But she...”  
  
“It’s not your fault,” you tell him. “She chose to stay. Don’t blame yourself for that.”  
  
Ronon’s silent for a moment. Then...

“No.”  
  


* * *

  
  
“Okay, so, the way I see it,” your name is John Sheppard, and you lay it all out. “We have two options here. Option one is I break that window down, and Breeze up to the Control Room.”  
  
“That sounds... a little risky,” Jade says.  
  
“Less risky than me climbing it without going wind form,” you say.   
  
“Climbing the tower?” Teyla asks, shocked. “Is that even possible?”  
  
“The control room’s only four floors above us,” you say. “It should be possible to do it even without powers, but I’m not going to risk that. Thus, option two.”  
  
“And what’s option two?” Teyla asks.  
  
“Option two is the simpler of the two.” You look over to the younger Jade sitting near the window you’d be busting down. “I have her Teleport me up to the Control Room directly.”  
  
Jade hums on that. Teyla grows thoughtful.

“Alright,” Jade says. “Me and Teyla will stay here. You take mini-me up to the control room with controlled teleport. And, honestly, if you absolutely need to, she could probably teleport you through sealed doors if need be.”  
  
“Wh-” Teyla grimaces. “Why did we not think of that sooner?”  
  
“We didn’t have a reason to need it,” you say, then walk over to the mini Jade sitting still by that window. “Hey, Harley?”  
  
“Yeah?” She looks up at you.  
  
“I’m going to need you to teleport us both up to the Control Room. Argo and Nepp should still be up there. Do you think you can manage that?”  
Jade Harley considers it for several long moments, then looks to your Jade. She nods. Then, the young girl before you nods as well.  
  
“I can do this!” She declares.  
  
“Alright,” you place a hand on her shoulder. “Now focus on the Gate Room, that’s probably the most open space there is for us to safely teleport to.”  
  
Harley nods, and then closes her eyes for a moment. When she opens them again, they’re glowing green.  
  
“Here We Go!” She claps her hands and thrusts them out infront of her, towards you, actually--  
  
_**ZAP!**_  
  
\--And then you and her are standing infront of the Stargate- wait, why is the shield rai-?  
  
**_WAAA WAA~! KAWOOOOOSH!_**  
  
The vortex splashes against the shield and collapses back into itself as the Gate shuts down again.  
  
“Holy Shit!” you swear, staggering backwards.  
  
“WAAH!” Harley leaps back and away from the gate in shock.  
  
KAWOOOSH! Shut down. What the-?  
  
No. No time for that now.  
  
“John!?” Argo calls out. “What-!?”  
  
“No time to explain!” You shake your head, brushing off that potential near death experience and rushing up to the Control Room, Harley follows after you. “I’ve got a transmitter to shut down!”  
  
KAWOOSH!  
  
“We already tried that,” Argo informs you as you arrive in the room. “It’s password protected!”  
  
You find the nearest computer, and start typing into it.  
  
“What the hell happened?” And then Major Lorne enters the room. “Colonel!? Where the hell did you come from?”  
  
KAWOOSH! And- Confirmation! YES!  
  
You exhale in relief. “Beacon’s deactivated.”  
  
“And Ventilation’s restored to the City!” Lt. Banks reports.   
  
“Maybe now we can get all of the city’s systems working again,” Argo starts, even as Nepp and Lizzy come in- Lizzy trailing alongside Nepp, holding her hand. “You knew Rodney’s password?”  
  
“I could only do so much from the lab,” you explain. “Teyla and Jade are still trapped in there, so we need to-”  
  
KAWOOOSH!  
  
...And then power cuts out to the entire control room, and the fucking Self Destruct Klaxons sound off.  
  
“Oh what now!?” Argo yells.  
  
“We must have tripped into Level Six Quarantine when Harley and I teleported in here,” you realize. Shit. “Did anyone see a timer before the computers went out?”  
  
KAWOOOSH!  
  
“No,” Chuck shakes his head.   
  
“Okay, Ventilation’s open through the City, right?” You look to Banks, who nods. “Well, then I guess I’m making a trip to the Power Room.”  
  
You make your way to the nearest vent opening, and tense yourself. No time for hesitation, John. That self destruct could go off at any second.  
  
KAWOOOSH!  
  
You go Breeze, and hurtle yourself through the City’s maze of a Ventilation system towards the ZPM and Naquadah Generator Power Distribution room.  
  
It doesn’t take long to get there. You arrive, solidifying on the ground, and start flipping breakers. Within moments, the city is powered down.  
  
You take a breath, count to thirty, and restart power to the City with a sharp exhale.  
  
And wouldn’t you know it- a hard reboot ends the quarantine. Because the moment power’s restored, the doors to the Power Room glide open.  
  


* * *

  
  
**_WAAA WAAA! KAWOOOOSH!_**  
  
The Stargate connects, and the IDC from Tagora’s team comes through. Chuck lowers the shield, and the five wayward diplomats hurry through the gate.  
  
Yuuki yells- “SHIELD! SHIELD!”  
  
Chuck raises the shield again just in time to prevent atleast five unknown creatures to make it through the gate. The subsequent series of splats against the shield were unnerving to say the least.  
  
Nepp and Jade high five, while Argo sighs in relief, holding Lizzy in their arms. "That was too close for comfort."

* * *

  
  
“Oh Thank God!” Carter and Zelenka exclaim in English and Czech at the same time as the transporter doors open.  
  


* * *

  
  
“Woot!” Jade Jackson exclaims as the bulkhead doors to Mckay’s Lab lift open.  
  


* * *

  
  
“FINALLY!” Gordon Freeman cries out as the doors open, allowing the hallway to stop being a room and resume being a hallway. "FREEEEEEDOMMMMMMM!!!"  
  


* * *

  
  
The Infirmary doors glide open, and Keller immediately tabs her Radio- “Kanaya Maryam to the Infirmary, ASAP!”  
  


* * *

  
  
...The office door to the Bregman Documentary Editing Studio opened, and Gina Kae and Ziggy Grover hesitantly stopped the make out session they’d started when the Self Destruct Klaxons started.  
  
“...” Neither said a word, merely fixing their clothes to be proper, and went about returning to their actual jobs.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Rose Lalonde, and you arrive, meekly, in the mostly empty Cafeteria to find John, Teyla, Ronon, Keller, and Zelenka sitting at a table.  
  
“Honestly, I would rather not be stuck inside any cramped enclosure again for a very long time,” Zelenka was saying as you enter.  
  
“Ah!” John spots you. “Rose! About time you joined us! Where have you been all day?”  
  
You laugh, a bit nervously. “...Would you believe that I somehow managed to sleep through the entire thing and didn’t wake up until Kanaya got radio’d to the Infirmary?”  
  
“Kanaya mentioned something about that,” Keller giggles. “Something about a Cat needing her beauty sleep.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” you grumble, grabbing a spare chair and sitting down at the table. “I had a busy night, you know!”  
  
Not that you’re going to go into much detail about it.  
  
Jade and Argo enter the room, their younger alternates nowhere in sight.  
  
“Mini-Me’s are safely back home on Earth,” Argo reports, taking up two chairs from another table, offering one to Jade to sit in before sitting in the other. “And god, do they have a story to tell.”  
  
“What was even up with the Stargate anyways?” John asks. “It looked like it was spazzing out the entire time I was there.”  
  
“Apparently Quarantine Protocols at high enough levels force incoming connections to terminate,” Zelenka says. “A Rapid Fire Shotgun style of dialing such as what Tagora’s team encountered would result in that frequent Kawoosh as was seen.”  
  
“Well, yeah, but why?” John asks.   
  
“Apparently there was an army of Mantis Men,” Argo explains.   
  
“Mantis men?” you ask.   
  
“Mantis Men,” Argo nods. “Very mutant-y. All sorts of illegal genetic manipulation, it sounded like. Whole village just... changed.”

“Terrifying,” you say.  
  
“What’s not terrifying is some good news!” Sam Carter says as she approaches from elsewhere. “It doesn’t look like anyone picked up the distress beacon we were putting out, so we should be in the clear.”  
  
“I think We’ll have to monitor that for a few days, but still,” John raised his glass. “Good news!”  
  
There’s a chorus of “Indeeds!” 

"Rodney's also reworking the Quarantine Protocols to prevent moments like today from ever happening again," Sam adds, taking her seat. "Hopefully, no more Atmospheric Storm triggered Lockdowns in our future."

"Well, atleast there's that," Zelenka says. "What happened to Rodney anyways?"

"Transporter Door crunched his foot before Lockdown," Keller answers. "Kanaya healed it up once she could get there, but he was bed ridden the entire time."  
  
"Ah, that had to be painful," Zelenka shakes his head. "Remind me to buy steel toed boots the next time I'm on Earth."  
  
"Add me to that shopping trip too," Ronon smirks. "I don't want to wind up in that position either. There's stupid injuries, and then there's Stupid Injuries."  
  
"Ah, like getting blasted in the shower and cutting your arm open?" Keller asks, wryly.  
  
"Yeah. Like that," Ronon chuckles.

You just sigh. "Man, I really wish I'd woke up sooner. I could've helped stop all of it sooner! I feel left out!"

John places a hand on your shoulder, and pats it twice with a "There there."  
  
The night continues on from there, and despite everything... It's just another Day in Atlantis, all things considered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Episode: INTERMISSION: Cliffhangers.  
\---  
The main body Rich Text Editor is still being weird, and now the spell check is acting up in it, too. Sometimes I'll correct a highlighted word and the stupid checker STILL says it's wrong. :/ Idk what's up, but I apologize again for the inconvenience of typos. Maybe I should just start running my typo checks in the End Notes editor here and copy paste after. LOL.  
\---  
Yes, Chell Johnson is another reference/Nod to Portal. As was the army of Mantis Men. Geeze. What's up with THAT? That's definitely not supposed to be happening here.  
\---  
The Repeated KAWOOSH scene is lifted from Stargate Universe. There's something hilarious about using a Stargate Kawoosh to frighten off a rather persistent enemy! XD
> 
> Of course, on the other side of the gate, that can be quite dangerous!!  
\---  
This episode only works as a bottle episode for as long as the characters are willing to stay put. There are quite a few ways to get around the City, when one puts their mind to it.
> 
> Mini Jade Teleports are a lot more quick and simple than climbing UP THE SIDE OF THE ATLANTIS TOWER. GEEZE, CANON JOHN SHEPPARD. OVER ACHIEVER MUCH??? 
> 
> This John Sheppard doesn't need to be so fancy. Though, he did rob Zelenka of a hero moment, technically. But... Honestly, when you have someone who can turn into WIND, they're gonna fit through a ventilation shaft a lot easier than a fully grown human male. :P  
\---  
Rose probably could have short-circuited the entire episode had she not slept in. She also probably would have triggered the Self Destruct too, breaking quarantine like John did.


	31. INTERMISSION: Cliffhangers.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Calum references yet another TV series you may or may not have heard of.

**EARTH DATE: MARCH 20TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 10/01/0006.**  
  
Alloyd Armadn- Olive Blooded Archaeologist from Alternia working in the Atlantis Expedition- was not someone who trusted easily these days.  
  
Because usually if someone seemed too good to be true? They probably were.  
  
Take, for example, the people native to PNJ-4G0, a group of seemingly harmless villagers who settled in some old, defunct Ancient ruins and, on the surface level, were kind and considerate and allowed Atlants Recon Team 9 Major Lorne's Team as an escorting party for a team of Translators lead by Doctor Daniel Jackson a chance to study the Ancient Ruins.  
  
Alloyd- or "Lloyd" to his close friends of which there were few, and none of them on Atlantis- was hesitant from the start. There was something familiar about all of this that was nagging at the base of his dragon horn shaped horns.   
  
Doctor Jackson didn't see it, and was all too happy to let his guard down. Lloyd, of course, decided that he probably should defer to the man with the most experience. After all, this was Lloyd's first off world mission since he arrived on Atlantis a little under a month ago. Surely it was just his nerves talking shit, right?  
  
Alas. This all backfired rather spectacularly when the villagers suddenly drew Wraith stunners, declared them prisoners for their QUEEN MEDEA, and shot everyone around dinner time the night before.  
  
Thus, that was the story of how one trust-burned Alternian found himself chained up to a Faerie girl from another dimension, suspended over the edge of a cliff when he woke up.  
  
"You know," he lamented rather tiredly, "I knew these people were bad news. I just knew it."  
  
"Yes, naturally," the Fae who he couldn't see, but definitely could feel her tail was batting against his legs in an annoyed way, remarked in agreement. "Stupid Wraith Worshipers. I should have known. They reeked of distrust."  
  
Lloyd couldn't place her voice, guessing the tail's shape wasn't getting him anywhere by touch alone, and he was definitely NOT glancing down again after first waking up. The sight of the distant river and spiky rocks below was NOT one he wanted to revisit just to try and get a visual lock on who it was he was tied up with.  
  
Still, there were two Fae girls on this trip who it could be- a Cait Syth or a Cu Sidhe- one from the Translation team, and one from AR-9. He'd not spoken with either, up until now.  
  
_'Man. What a first impression to make.'_ Lloyd sighed. "Yeah. I think it's pretty obvious they don't want us escaping. Can you see any of the others from here?"  
  
"No," his fellow prisoner remarked. "But I can certainly hear them from down the canyon wall. I think we've all been suspended over this great height to make it easier for the eventual Wraith Darts to come and scoop us up."  
  
"And the further away we are from everyone else the harder it is to escape," Lloyd surmised. "Not that the height isn't enough as it is."  
  
"Agreed," the Fae behind him shifted- her tail struggling to move for balance with what little space there was between their backs. It was quite annoying to feel for the both of them. "Of course, if I can get myself free, the height will be the least of my concerns."  
  
"Glowing magic wings and all," you nod in agreement.

"Naturally," there's a grunt, and Lloyd swears that she's trying to pull one of her feet loose from the shackles from the way everything shifts and tilts.   
  
Yeah. Shackles. Lloyd doesn't need to look down to know that the mechanism binding his feet to hers is identical to the ones at their wrists. He looks up to re-examine it as best as he can, and almost bumps the back of his head against hers.  
  
"Ow! Watch it!" She snarls, startled.  
  
"Sorry, Sorry," Lloyd narrowed his eyes at the shackles. It was a cross shaped thing with circles at each end of a beam, along with a hole in the center for anchoring a large metal chain through from the bottom all the way to the stupid crane head towering above them by a good... Eh...  
  
If Lloyd had to guess, he'd pin it at a good fifty feet above them, which was probably already a good thirty feet above the cliff's topmost edge.  
  
"Man, this brings back memories," Lloyd grimaced. "Bad ones, honestly."

"Oh?" his conversational partner asked, shifting the other way from before- to no avail.  
  
"Well, there was this girl back on Alternia, back when Alternia was still a thing. She... was trying to be my Matesprite, I thought, but she kept flipping to Pitch and acting like a Kismesis. So I had no idea what to make of her," Lloyd explained. "Harumi, was her name. To, ah, make a long story short? She locked me up in a cage, hung me over a pit of water filled with piranha-fish, and started lowering me down out of some stupid misguided idea of revenge."  
  
"Revenge?" the question was laced with SO many suspicious tones it wasn't even funny.  
  
"The worst part is she had the wrong name the entire time, and didn't even LIKE me," he explained. "She wanted Garmma Adonis, not Alloyd Armadn. He was a SEA DWELLER! I'm Olive! She didn't even do basic fact checking!"  
  
"...That sucks," his fellow prisoner said, and then- Suddenly!- there was a small pop, and everything rattled. She barked a short laugh- "Hah! That'll teach them for not confiscating Sylladexes."  
  
"What will?"  
  
"I Captchalogued my shoes!" He could practically hear the grin in her voice.  
  
"Why would you want to do that for?" Lloyd asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion. It wasn't like the metal was going to allow her feet through any better without shoes on.  
  
"Because now I can try casting some shape shifting magic and get my feet out of the binds without dropping my shoes into that rather murky river down below," his companion said with unrestrained glee. "Oh, but do continue. Feel free to ignore the chanting, I'm listening."  
  
And thus, as she started to mumble the magic words of fae-magic, Lloyd could watch as golden words spun above his head. It was surreal to watch.  
  
"So, uh..." Lloyd coughed. "Yeah. She lured me out to some old temple with promises of a date I'd never forget, and I stupidly went along with it and got captured. Man, what a mistake that was. Pretty similar situation to this but- like I said, cage and flesh eating fish. Kind of a big difference, really."  
  
A "Mmhhm?" was squeezed in between two verses of magic chanting then, along with the sensation of a nod.  
  
"I couldn't get out of it on my own," Lloyd continued. "Some friends of mine came and busted me out. Scolded me for not being smart and falling for such an obvious death trap, but they still busted me out. We had words about what was going on, and I broke it off with Harumi after that."  
  
"Speaking of breaking out- hold still!" his companion interjects, and suddenly everything sways weirdly.  
  
"Woah!"   
  
"I said hold still!"

They were spinning now.  
  
"I am! You're dragging my arms down with whatever you're doing!"  
  
"Sorry! Just a moment longer!"  
  
Lloyd could see their shadows against the cliff wall now, and he got a sense of what the girl behind him was doing.  
  
True to her word, she had gotten her feet free of the lower shackles by shape shifting her legs from something of the normal thick/thin humanoid formation to something comparatively thinner and lankier- almost canine- that could just slip on out of the restraints. And she was gripping heavily onto the upper shackles to support her weight so that she could curl up and lift her entire weight up and over her own head.  
  
It looked really uncomfortable, and arms were definitely not supposed to bend that way- more shape shifting, likely. There were two spells she'd cast after all.  
  
Lloyd wrenched his eyes shut because arms were REALLY not supposed to bend that way.  
  
There was some more muttered magical spell work, a burst of golden light that pierced through closed eyelids, and then-  
  
_"Boop."_  
  
Lloyd felt a finger pressing against his nose.  
  
He opened an eye, and saw the Cu Sidhe girl's face staring- upside down- at his own no doubt comical expression.  
  
Akita, the name leaped uninvited from the recesses of his mind. This was the girl he'd been stuck with the entire time. Akita Red.  
  
Similarly uninvited was the remark that escaped from his lips- "What are you, some kind of contortionist?"  
  
She gave him an utterly comical expression. Her amber eyes scrunching in confusion- and her black hair was just... all a mess, drawn around by Gravity.   
  
"Huh?" She blinked. "Oh! The Noddle Arm Spell. Right. Yeah. Uh... That's a thing. A really uncomfortable thing and I'd appreciate it if you never bring it up again?"  
  
"If you can get me out of these chains I'll consider it even," Lloyd declared.  
  
"Deal!" Akita agreed without hesitation, and then pushed off from where she'd apparently gotten on top of the hand shackles- flipping around in mid air on her golden-yellow wings until she was right side up. "Won't take me more than two shakes of a cat's tail!" She joked- her own lupine tail swishing, white fur with red tip, happily behind her.  
  
It didn't take too long for her to break open the restraints holding him, and while her offer to carry him was appreciated, Alloyd Armadn had his own special means of getting around.  
  
With a flex of that hidden power that had given some Trolls wings, and turned others into werewolves, he tapped into his own special gift- something exotic and rather protagonistic.  
  
Why, if this were a different setting, he'd probably be one of the most OP characters around.   
  
As it was, it was just a bog standard flying/blaster ability that manifested as green energy he could somewhat control and shape.   
  
Somewhat being the key word, because nine times out of ten that he tapped into this power, he almost always wound up with the same annoying, and unwieldy gimmick.  
  
Lloyd summoned an aura around himself that took the shape of a large, green and gold, semi-transparent Wyvern. How large you might ask? Large enough that it's torso- just its torso, ribs, hips, chest, and not the wings, tail, neck or head- was just slightly larger than a Puddle Jumper. Lloyd didn't know it was called a Wyvern though, and just called it a Dragon instead.  
  
And like every single time it was summoned- the "Dragon" roared loud enough to make the landscape tremble with vibrations.  
  
Lloyd grimaced. Akita laughed. They both said the same thing in opposite tones of voice: "So much for stealth."  
  
Akita zipped over to the dragon's head and landed on it. "Onward, mighty steed!"  
  
"Yeah yeah," Lloyd rolled his eyes, and warned, "Dig your claws into the scales. This dragon only knows two speeds. Stopped and Fast."  
  
Akita simply shifted her hands and feet into more wolf-like forms and her mouth grew into a slight muzzle- grinning as she gripped tight on the Dragon's energy-made scales. "Ready!"  
  
With that confirmation, Lloyd made the Dragon FLY.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Was it just me," Daniel Jackson voiced as he dared to open one of his eyes. "Or did I just hear a Dragon Roaring?"  
  
"Yeeeah," Lorne sighed. "That sounded like a Dragon to me."  
  
And then they heard the tell-tale whining keen of Wraith Darts inbound.  
  
"And I don't think we need anything to tell us what that is," Lorne continued.  
  
"Yep," Daniel nodded.  
  
All around them left and right, their fellow-suspended-in-air teammates looked around nervously as the Darts grew closer and closer- some of them were gleaming dots of reflected sunlight in the distance- coming from the Stargate's direction.  
  
Then- a fucking Green Dragon came hurtling out from around the corner of the cliff from the opposite direction and it_** WOOOSHED** _by in a blur- going so fast that the wind was lagging for a good five seconds trying to catch up.  
  
"I'm glad I switched to contacts," Daniel remarked happily as he proceeded to watch the energetic missile of a glowing green dragon open its mouth and unleash a devastating burst of green fire against the closest Wraith Darts.  
  
Explosions happened shortly there after.  
  
The rest of those Wraith Darts broke formation, attempting to swarm the projected beast. A few made the mistake of getting too close, and a certain Werewolf-Fae Girl leaped off of the Dragon and began hop-scotching from Dart to Dart, smashing in windshields and throwing stunned figures who suspiciously did not seem to actually be Wraith at all out into the air.  
  
Elsewhere along the chain of Prisoners, Ehvans and Albarn of AR-9 yelled out "Akita!?" as this happened, stunned by their teammate's ruthlessness towards the Not-Wraith who seemed more like the kind of Wraith-Enzyme Drugged up Men who worked with Ford.  
  
Needless to say. More Explosions happened shortly there after as Darts began crashing without their pilots.  
  
"Yeah, I'm really glad I switched to contacts," Daniel reiterated.  
  
"What's happening? I can't see from back here!" Lorne protested.  
  
It didn't take long for Lloyd and Akita to retrieve their cliff-hung teammates, and begin the process of heading back to the Stargate to dial out. That they all flew by Dragon Elemental Projection Air was entirely incidental.  
  
Needless to say, a large faction of the people of that planet who worshiped that "Queen Medea" found themselves switching over to a new religion within hours, beginning a long fight between them and their still apparently Wraith Worshiping villagers.  
  
The fact that their newfound belief lead to many of those who dropped the Wraith habit cold turkey suddenly found themselves finally manifesting powers of their own was just icing on the proverbial cake.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Here."  
  
Lloyd looked up in surprise as Akita placed a plate with a slice of cake down on the cafeteria table next to the food he was working on. "What? Cake?"  
  
"Something for you to chew on while I pay you back in turn for your rambling earlier," Akita said, rather firmly, ensuring there was no debate about it.   
Lloyd was sure to have protested otherwise, both of them knew it.  
  
"You don't have to do that" is what he would have said.  
  
So, she ensured he knew she would be having none of it.  
  
Instead, he took a fork and cut into the slice of cake.  
  
"'Why did you want to come to Atlantis?'" Akita asks, and Lloyd almost answers before she continues on. "I was asked that when I sat in that director's office, being assigned. I truthfully could not answer. Was it because my home had been slated for death, doom, and destruction? Was it because I refused to be encapsulated by such a giant, planet sized spaceship? I could not answer, and I still find myself asking myself that question. Revenge, perhaps? But who would I be avenging? Eventually, I realized... I simply wanted something to do with my life. Some greater purpose." She paused. "My story is simple. I was born a Spriggan, nearly twenty years ago. Our village was humble, and only a few short years after I was born, it was raided by a Rage of Ice Dragons. Most died."  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that," Lloyd said.  
  
"It was what it was," Akita paused. "I had been playing with my brother in the forest, but when the Dragons attacked, I was separated from him. I wandered the village, trying to find my family... And then I was trapped by a collapsed wall that was frozen solid. I was forced to watch as our parents were frozen solid, when they came looking for me. They saw I was trapped, and they came to rescue me. I was forced to watch as they were frozen, and shattered. And I did that for everyone else, because the Dragons could not see me and I dared not make a sound."   
  
Lloyd looked horrified by that. How much more traumatic of an event this seemed than the continual harassment he had suffered, his mind wanted to say. Some part of him wanted to claim that she'd had it far worse than he, and who was he to complain about his life when this had happened?  
  
But he wisely kept his mouth shut, and listened.  
  
"I watched as everyone I knew was frozen, assaulted, and- and shattered." She shudders, continuing the story. "And then a man came through our village. Another Spriggan. We had seen him on occasion before. We called him the Black Swordsman. He was known to be a powerful warrior for almost 300 years. His cloak blew in the breeze as he drew his swords and I watched as he slayed the dragons with startling ease. Our own defenses had barely hurt them. But he... he was a hero. He gathered our survivors, freed me from the debris trapping me, and he escorted the survivors to a nearby village- a Cu Sidhe village."   
  
"And that's how you got the ears and tail then?" Lloyd asked.  
  
Akita nodded. "My brother found me, in that village, and we agreed to be turned," she answered, simply. "My brother felt at peace. As for me... I felt... restless. The wolf within me refused to sit still. And so... I went out on my own, across the continent of Alfheim, doing what I could. I learned how to fight, to hunt Ice Dragons. It was never enough for me. I always felt like I could be doing more. But... Alfheim held too many memories for me. Painful ones. If I did not do something different... I would have drowned beneath that pressure. And so I came to Atlantis when I heard of an opportunity."  
  
There was a long pause.  
  
Neither said anything.  
  
"It hasn't been long, but some days it feels the change of scenery has barely helped... at least, until today." Akita swallowed nothing, worked her jaw, and then said, "Today, when we were trapped on that cliff, I felt alive again for the first time again since I've come to Atlantis. But... I can't tell if it was the adventure, or the Company. I do not know why I came to Atlantis, still. But... I feel I may have some small idea of why I want to stay here."  
  
Lloyd looked at her, not sure where she was going with this.   
  
Finally, she asked, "Armadn, why did you come alone to Atlantis?"  
  
"Alone, huh?" He asked. "I guess you asked around, Akita?"  
  
"You're newer than I am, here," she explained simply. "News travels fast."  
  
He thought for several long moments, eating at his cake that she had brought. Its sweetness seemed almost bitter to him.  
  
"Alternia died. Harumi didn't stop coming after me. Didn't stop trying to hurt my friends because she thought I was the man she was after, and then hated me just as much for 'wasting her time' when she found out." Lloyd answered. "I thought I had something special. My friends warned me, and I didn't listen. I... I got burned. And every where I looked I saw judging faces. I couldn't stand it, even when Alternia died. She kept coming. And coming. And then one day, one of my friends... my Moirail... finally killed her. And I couldn't look at him the same way ever again."  
  
He laughed, bitterly.  
  
Akita's ears fell in sorrow and she gave a soft whine of dismay.  
  
"I guess you could say I'm running from the idea of friendship whatsoever," he finally answered her question. "I came to Atlantis because I'm a coward, and I couldn't trust anyone anymore to not hurt me."  
  
Silence reigned again, and Lloyd quietly ate his slice of cake as Akita processed that.  
  
Then, finally, she asked, "Have you spoken to anyone about this beyond me?"  
  
"...Nope," Lloyd answered, without even bothering to mask the bitterness. "Don't trust easily like that these days."  
  
"And you just started rambling and venting to the first captive person who'd listen?" Akita asked.  
  
"...You DID tell me to keep going," he reminded her. "But... I mean... I did sort of start it unprompted, didn't I?"  
  
"Yes, you did." She nodded. He sighed. "Honestly, I got the impression you needed to get it off your chest."  
  
Lloyd sighed. "Yeah. I... It's... been a while since I talked to someone about anything involving Harumi that didn't result in them trying to give me advice," he admitted. "Ex-Moirail included. I guess... not knowing who you were or if I'd even see you again after today, and being stuck in a near death experience again just... overwrote any fear I had about pushing my troubles on other people."  
  
Akita considered that, then nodded, as if deciding something. "I don't know much about Moirailgence, and I certainly don't know about how to offer any advice... so I won't. Instead, I'll say, that you're the first person I've met since I came here that I can really tolerate as something more than an acquaintance, or co-worker. I'll admit I'm being partially selfish, but I could use a friend." She offered him her hand. "And you seem like you could use a friend, too."  
  
Lloyd smiled, something genuine as a tiny spark of warmth flared in his chest. "Sure." He shook her hand. "And, Akita?"   
  
"Yes?"  
  
"My friends call me Lloyd."  
  
"Lloyd, huh?" Akita smiled. "I like the sound of that."  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Boldir Lamati, and you chuckle quietly to yourself as you put the tray of cake slices back into the fridge.  
  
Oh, whether they remain just friends, become Moirails, or shift into something Flushed Quadrant- that doesn't matter. You know two souls craving a kindred soul when you see it.  
  
You're just glad those two found each other before you had to play matchmaker.   
  
You've gazed into your alternate selves, seeking for any who know other versions of those two... You've found a couple of them. Kindred souls burned by betrayal and tragedy just the same again and again. Meeting, and often times, sadly parting soon after.  
  
Well. Maybe this time things will go better for them, with some other folks out there in Atlantis taking the brunt of the Narrative Focus off of their shoulders?  
  
People could always use more FRIENDSHIP and KINDNESS, after all.  
  
...And hopefully, unlike Marinette's quadrant cluster, they won't draw the hungry eyes of the Romance Novel Cafeteria Club, either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! The Rich Text Editor spell check is working again! WOOT. Dunno what changed at all but I'm glad its working again. That makes my job a whole lot easier... Though it's still doing the weird thing with the hard line break jumping me to the very bottom of the page. Oh Well! I can deal with THAT!  
\---  
LEGO Ninjago Season 11's ICE CHAPTER featured a shapeshifting wolf girl named Akita. She and Lloyd, the Green Ninja, had some pretty good on-screen chemistry, though I'm not entirely sure I ship Canon!Ninjago!Them Flushed or Pale. For this timeline, though, they're just friends, and nothing more.
> 
> Lloyd went through a LOOOOT of shit with the villain Harumi in canon Ninjago the last few years, and boy has it made him wary of trusting people in general. He's kept a lot bottled up inside of him, and the first person he opens up to, because he thinks they're just a wolf and won't talk back, ends up being a shape shifting girl! 
> 
> I tried to keep their respective backstories in this universe fairly similar to canon, though it required some tweaks. Harumi, in this case, was going for a case of Mistaken identity rather than going after Lloyd Garmadon's father, LORD Garmadon. :P
> 
> ...Canon Harumi was more than a little messed up and could have used a Proper Moirail, come to think of it.
> 
> \---  
Akita's Wolf form shifting translates over to a Cu Sidhe Fae on this side of events, along with some extra magic skills bending towards actual shape shifting outside of that. 
> 
> The various Masters of Spinjiitsu in Canon Ninjago have the ability to summon Dragons out of their elemental powers, given the right circumstances. Lloyd keeps that power and summons a massive energy dragon in this timeline. He's not quite up to the jumping back, kicking back, flipping around, and spinning part yet, though.
> 
> \---
> 
> Ehvans and Albarn are indeed more nods to the anime Soul Eater. You'll see them a bit further down the line when they appear again. 
> 
> \---
> 
> Some more pieces of the ongoing plot puzzle have been laid out here. Was this Queen Medea even actually a Wraith? Sure seems like it on a surface level reading of events, and yet... Something doesn't feel right about THAT. 
> 
> Also, poor Lorne, getting stuck so where he couldn't see what was going on. Dude gets the short end of the stick, some missions.  
\---  
NEXT CHAPTER: SGA:04X14: Harmony


	32. SGA:04X14: Harmony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adults, Kids, and lots of heavy handed meta discussion.

**EARTH DATE: MARCH 29TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 10/10/0006.**  
  
Tyzias and Daraya were off world doing some simple diplomatic stuff- why? You don't know, and you don't care.  
  
Because your name is Keiko Ayano, and it's your DAY OFF today.  
  
You lay back, just floating on the pool water's surface, and gaze up at the ceiling.  
  
GOD.   
  
FUCKING.  
  
DAMN IT.  
  
How long has it BEEN since you've had a break like this?  
  
Seems like it was before that ONE FUCKING SUNDAY last year, honestly. It's just been one crisis after another along with one research project after another.  
  
BLUH.  
  
And then there was all that bullshit with TODD and the stupid Wraith Cloning Facility- WHAT WAS UP WITH THAT!?!?!!?  
  
God.   
  
Just.  
  
FUCKING.  
  
DAMN IT.  
  
You've needed this break.  
  
You stretch your arms and legs out in the water and idly backstroke-propell yourself forwards slightly.  
  
Sucks to be Mallek, you guess, with him stuck working with Freeman and Kae and Fraiser on figuring out whatever the hell was up with that random ass army of Mantis Men...  
  
But man.  
  
YOU. HAVE. NEEDED. THIS. BREAK.  
  
You close your eyes, take in a deep breath of chlorine scented air- nearly GAG on it because WHEW, they cleaning crew must've just finished before you got here this morning- and then exhale it out as quickly as possible, before opening your eyes again.  
  
Much to your surprise, Aradia Megido is towering high above you, floating on her wings, peering down at you with a wide grin on her face.  
  
Oh.  
  
_**Oh No.**_  
  
_"CANNON-!" _  
  
You dive underwater and swim as far away as you can before Aradia can finish that declaration of intent.  
  
The following KASPLOOOSH of water of Aradia hitting the surface of the pool and sinking under its surface reminds you of a Stargate Kawoosh.   
  
...You and Aradia both breach the surface moments later, and you glare at her. "HEY! MEGIDO!" You shout.  
  
"WHAT?" she shouts back.  
  
"NO DIVING!" you point at the LARGE, POSTED SIGN on the nearest wall.  
  
She has the audacity to laugh.  
  


* * *

  
  
A woman in dark purple robes watches from the shadows as Tyzias Entykk, Daraya Jonjet, and a young Princess named Harmony set out on their walk from the Royal Palace out into the forests outside.  
  
She smirks, and takes up a Genii radio. "My Lord... The Two Men and the Princess you seek have left. Accompanying them are two women, and an even younger child. Distractions, no doubt."  
  
_"Acknowledged, Medea,"_ Aiden Ford's voice returns over the line._ "I will Tell our men to begin the operation."_

Medea smiled, knowing her lie went through perfectly.

* * *

[ **o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg)

* * *

"And I'm telling you! The guy turned out to be an Alien Clone of the human villain stuck in the alien world THE ENTIRE TIME!" Freeman's explanation of some Wild Plot Twist burst through the noise of the cafeteria as his small group of scientists entered, and made their way into line.   
  
Your name is Boldir Lamati, and you work idly on mixing a batch of brownies when your mental powers ping on another group of individuals entering the Cafeteria.  
  
Jude, Cassandra, and Penny Harley. The whole squad, minus the other kids.  
  
You glance at your watch. Given time of day they'd still be in school, so not so strange-- if it weren't a Saturday.  
  
Something's off, and you can tell it even before your powers pry loose a specific concerning thought.  
  
Penny's coming off of what appears to be the last stages of a short two day cold- but it's NOT a cold, and it's really the same genetic mutation that caused Cassandra to nearly die once.   
  
And it's triggered EARLY. Years early, compared to Cassandra, and what's more, still early enough that she hasn't started EMPing light bulbs into pieces. Cassie's doom dancing powers to the rescue, it seems.  
  
You pass the bowl of brownie batter over to Diemen, and head to intercept them without a word.  
  
"Hey, Jude," you say. "I know a room where you two can work safely."  
  
Jude looks confused, then glances to Cassandra and his eyes widen slightly as if something just clicked into place for him.  
  
Cassie smiles appreciatively, and intercedes before Jude can ask anything, "Thanks, Boldir. We appreciate it."  
  
"Huh?" Penny tiredly asks. "What's goin'on?"   
  
"Nothing yet, sweetie," Cassie says. "Just rest for now."  
  
You lead them to a certain Ancient Lab that's long since been cleaned out of all the stuff that used to be in it- one that was EMP shielded so that something could be created safely. You never knew what, the lab had been cleared by the Ancients during their brief time here, but you know the lab is secure and isolated away from the rest of the City.  
  
Even the radios won't work in here, once the doors are sealed shut.  
  
The room itself has been used for storage by the Infirmary staff as of late, which is why you picked the location of it in question off of Doctor Keller. Located inside are several infirmary beds- which Cassie quickly settles Penny down on- and some spare medical equipment.  
  
"Penny's Electromagnetic powers are going to act up?" Jude asks as soon as you've sealed the doors. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"  
  
"Chances have been rising and falling since we've been coming here to help with the Athosian crisis," Cassie tells her husband. "I wasn't sure if today was going to be another false alarm, or-" She shakes her head. "Chances were better if I didn't say anything until we got to the Cafeteria, and Boldir cut me off before I could say anything."  
  
"Sorry bout that," you give a smile. "But I could pick up on something being wrong the moment before you guys even entered the Cafeteria."  
  
"And what are the chances saying now?" Jude asks, concern written all over his face.

"They're saying-" Cassandra doesn't get another word out- as a light bulb nearby suddenly pops, and Penny groans in pain from the bed. "Shit- it's starting now."  
  
"Crap, alright," Jude runs his hands through his hair. "I've got the right equipment in my Sylladex- never stopped carrying it after Penny was born- but- shit. I don't know if Penny inherited enough raw Naquadah from your bloodstream to make nanite nodes for her too like I did with you."  
  
"Thought of that," Cassie decaptchalogues a small bottle of a powdered silver substance. "After she was born- got it on Abydos."  
  
"Guess we've both thought ahead," Jude takes the bottle of raw, powdered Naquadah, and sighs. "Alright. Guess we're doing this then."  
  
You smile when both of them glance at you, and speak before they do, "I'll keep guard. You do what you need to do."  
  


* * *

  
  
You are now Tyzias Entykk, and you feel your heart racing like mad as the situation deescalates for a few precious moments.  
  
Your mind is a whirl of emotions, and so, as you kneel and check on the guy you just SHOT DEAD, you recap the situation in your mind.  
  
You came to the Planet LARRIS, a small Kingdom type of settlement that Atlantis made a trade deal with in the first year of operation, to continue some negotiations and reaffirming stuff.   
  
Princesses Flora and Mardola, two of the three royal sisters of the family, had a request for you and Daraya- escort their youngest sister to THE RUINS OF LARRIS, where she would perform some sacred rites to ascend to be queen.  
  
A Nine Year Old Girl has been declared to be Queen.  
  
Because the QUEEN- their Mother- suddenly fell ill and died. FLORA suspected FOUL PLAY, while MARDOLA did not, and thought the whole thing rediculous- believing the third sister- HARMONY- to be far too young to be Queen.   
  
And yeah, Nine Years Old, but still.  
  
Flora had it right.  
  
You and Daraya were but a few hours into your hike when a group of horribly mutated Genii soldiers exited the forest and surrounded you.  
  
The first thing you thought was that you knew these men- Sora had reported that a group of them had gone missing just last week while on an expedition to... to...  
  
_Shit!_  
  
To re-establish trade with this very planet. They'd never arrived- you'd checked with Flora and Mardola as part of the whole negotiation thing. Those Genii men had never arrived here, or so it was thought. Other similar diplomatic parties had gone missing elsewhere, so nothing special was thought of it for this planet.  
  
But here they were, pointing Wraith stunners at you, and looking like Zombies. No, not Zombies. They were very much alive up until you shot them. No. They looked like they'd been dosed with Wraith Enzyme and a Retrovirus.  
  
They demanded to know where John Sheppard and Rodney Mckay were, and where was the Royal Princess they were to be escorting.   
  
Harmony, of course, declared herself to be she, but the Genii didn't believe it, claiming that you three must be decoys.   
  
Then they went to switch their Wraith Stunners out for Genii handguns and sidearms.  
  
The Delay gave you enough time to dodge to the left while Daraya grabbed Harmony and dodged to the right. The mutated Genii turned their backs on you, which was their mistake. You shot them dead.  
  
And that brings you to now, checking their bodies over.  
  
"Tyzias?" Daraya asks.  
  
Shit, fuck, damn it!! You find injection sites near their major neck arteries. "Someone juiced these Genii with something."  
  
"Someone?" Harmony asks. "You mean you don't know?"  
  
"Not for sure," you rise to your feet. "But if I had to take a guess? Ford."  
  
"Ford, daaa...ng it," Daraya swore, barely. 'Cause Nine Year Old Kid.   
  
UGH.  
  
Fucking Escort Missions.  
  
"Okay... Harmony?" You look to the girl, who's not really stunned at seeing people dead. "You said that this ceremony to make you Queen lets you take control over that 'Beast' we heard earlier, right?"  
  
She nods. "Of course it does!"  
  
"Way I see it, we've got to get to the Ruins as soon as possible," you decide. "Let's get moving. Now."  
  
And thus, you move on before the rest of the Genii who probably got kidnapped for this stunt show up.  
  
The long hike through the forest begins.  
  
"Who's Ford?" Harmony asks, but a few minutes later.  
  
"A really misguided ex-friend of ours who got hopped up on some Wraith Drug and then started seeing All of the Timelines," Daraya explains. "We've been trying to get him help, but he's been stubbornly evading us and causing us troubles in the process."  
  
"And why would he attack us for?" Harmony asks.  
  
"Thing is, he wasn't," you say. "He clearly expected Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Mckay to be escorting you and not us. That's probably how it 'went' in 'most other timelines' or whatever logic Ford's working off of."  
  
"He does seem to be pretty blind to the Alternia Stuff when he's not directly confronting us," Daraya muses. "I don't think he's seeing quite nearly as many timelines as he thinks he does."  
  
"It's probably pretty limited to timelines where he's alive," you agree. "Timelines where he's dead are probably blank voids to him. And those timelines are probably fairly similar, all things considered, if he's alive and not dead. Without that weird warping power of his, surviving some of the s-" shit- "tuff he's survived would've been impossible otherwise."  
  
"Do you think he murdered the Queen?" Daraya asks.  
  
"I wouldn't put it past him to have done it just to make sure that someone was out here in the forest with Harmony, escorting her to the Ruins, only to be assaulted by Genii," you grouch. "But why? What's so important about all of this?"  
  
"Mad men rarely need good ideas to follow," Harmony sounds like she's quoting someone with how prim and proper and old she's trying to sound as she speaks. "Only simple ones masquerading as good ideas."  
  
"Who said that?" You ask.  
  
"My Mother," Harmony answers, sounding a little bit sad. "I wish I'd had more time with her." A pause. "If this Ford man really did kill her just to put today's events into motion, I will be severely cross, and likely will order his execution."  
  
Eeesh, bold words from a nine year old.   
  
"What do you think sounds better? A Beheading, or hanging?"   
  
"Woah!" Daraya laughs, nervously. "Let's not get a-head of ourselves here, Kid! Let's try something a little more quiet and low down first, right?"  
  
"Like what, imprisoning him?" Harmony asks. "From the way you describe him, he has some ability to traverse worlds and space which would make a conventional prison implausible."  
  
"Kid's got a point there," you say, scowling as a tree branch dares to get in your face. "We might have to kill him to stop him."  
  
Not that it's a pleasant thought. Ford was a good kid before he got pumped full of Enzyme and got his eyes opened to parallel dimensions. It's the enzyme that's really made him bonkers. If you could get that out of his system...   
  
But that's near impossible with his Heart Powers siphoning it from other dimensions.  
  
Could you stop him inside of a time freeze? No, too risky.   
  
...Linking? Could you link him into a dimension he couldn't teleport out of?  
  
How do you block a power that lets you draw upon alternate versions of yourself for strength?  
  
It's not like you can just create a secondary body and transplant his soul into it! Not anymore, atleast.  
  
Good grief, Shaper and Reaper would be SUCH a combo to have on hand right now.  
  
What do you do to solve this?

You don't want to kill Ford but you can't think of anything that would work to save him either!!  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Rose Lalonde, and quietly, very patiently, you and your younger alternate self work on learning the mystical arts of KNITTING.  
  
You're making a PLUSH BUNNY RABBIT for Lizzy, Mini-You is trying to master the art of making a SCARF.  
  
Silently, quietly, neither of you say anything as you work on performing the repetitive motions of creating knitted works of art.  
  
Well, they'd be art if they were in colors other than the purple spectrum. But you could only get SO MUCH YARN to be shipped to Atlantis at once and the purple hues seemed ELEGANT!   
  
It's kind of boring right now, actually. What you wouldn't give to have some ORANGES or YELLOWS in here to work with.  
  
Oh well.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Keiko Ayano, and after chasing Aradia to the far end of the pool opposite you, you continue your water-based day of relaxation.  
  
"Hahaha! Race ya!" A kid's voice echoes out.  
  
Oh no.  
  
"No! No Running around the pools!" An older version of that kid's voice calls out after- a voice you're well and truly familiar with.  
  
You pry open your eyes, and spot a young pair of Jade Harley and Nepp Strider running for the pool. Lagging behind are Argo Lalonde and Jade Jackson- the former being the one who shouted.  
  
Yay.  
  
Great.  
  
You give a lamenting sigh as those two kids dive into the pool- but thankfully, Aradia takes care of it for you.  
  
"Hey! No diving! Gotta be safe, kids!"   
  
Heh. Atleast your earlier scolding paid off to some degree.  
  
Still, with those two rambunctious kids paddling around in the water now, decked out with large pool-float-inflatable rings themed after some animal or another- Hawks and Lions? Cute- You come to realize that your easy day of relaxation ought to be put on hold for a bit more.  
  
You swim over to where Argo is taking the ladder into the water while Jade claims some pool chairs with towels.  
  
Even with the kids, it's surprisingly empty in the pool for a Saturday, but you're not going to complain.  
  
"Hey, Keiko," Argo greets, slipping into the water fully. "Sup?"  
  
"Hey, Argo," you greet. "Not much. Just taking my day off in the pool. What about you?"  
  
"Well- the four of 'em wanted to come to Atlantis this week, the mini-mes here 'cause the pools they wanted to go to aren't open back on Earth yet," Argo answers, moving across the water towards the kids to keep closer to them. "Rose is teaching Rose how to knit, and June and John are..." They pause. "Well, there's some awkward stuff there that they're sorting out between themselves while doing some fishing."  
  
You nod, perfectly understanding how awkward those kinds of talks might be. "Yeah. I can understand that."  
  
Jade makes her way over to the stairs on the shallow end and enters the pool from there- slowly making her way over while clinging a hand to the edge of the pool wall.   
  
_**SPLASSSSSH!**_  
  
"No Fair!" Aradia yelps. "You're double teaming me!"  
  
"We got you! We got you!" Two girls cry out in nearly synchronized glee- just enough desynch to not be terrifying.  
  
"Well! _I'll get you!" WOOOSH!_  
  
And then some of the backsplash from Aradia's little thrust of water manages to catch you and Argo by surprise across the tops of your heads.  
  
"Geeze!" Argo laments their now damp hair. "You'd think Aradia was the bigger kid among them!"  
  
You can't help but laugh.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is June Egbert.  
  
And some part of you- the part that's relishing in acting like a little girl and not a little boy- feels like you want to scream in abject terror.  
  
But honestly, really. It's not that scary. It's just... Gross. And kinda hideous. It's just a fish.  
  
"Why," you settle instead for abject horror and definitely grossed out . "Why does this fish have Three Eyes and Human Teeth??"  
  
A fish with three eyes, and a set of glistening human teeth jutting out of its jaw.  
  
John Sheppard glares at the fish you just reeled in off of the pier of Atlantis, and he answers, "I honestly have no damn clue. I'll see if Jimmyy knows..." He fishes out a tablet with a back mounted camera, takes a picture of it, and sends it off in email to someone.  
  
Then, he pulls the fish off of the hook and captchalogues it. Ew. Just the thought of your own Sylladex smelling like raw fish makes you wanna throw up.  
You hope he just burns the card later.   
  
"Sooo..." he sits back down on the chair he'd brought out for this. "That's a wacky-zany thing that I don't think any of us expected lived on this planet."  
  
"Nope," you agree very firmly, gripping onto the fishing pole and debating casting out another line. "Definitely not." After a minute's silent deliberation, you settle for putting the fishing pole down, and state, "Fishing kinda sucks."  
  
"Yeah, sometimes it does." John Sheppard sighs. "Maybe this was a bad idea."  
  
You glance upwards at a face that, up until recently, you dreaded at being your own. Now, that's all changed and different. You're not going to grow up to be HIM. And at this point you've come to realize that you're not going to ever be him, not even if a proverbial mountain of Shaper Crystals fell from the heavens.  
  
You *LIKE* being June and not John, and it's not just because you look like your sister now.  
  
And that's really what this whole fishing thing was about. Trying to...  
  
To...  
  
Not for the first time since Shaper thought to 'teach you a lesson' by giving you a greater gift than you'd dared imagine, you ask your once alternate self, "...Are you mad at me?"  
  
And like always, the answer is "No, of course not."  
  
This time, however, he sighs, running both hands through his hair, and adds, for the first time, "What I am mad at is that I don't know where we diverged-" he stops the moment he says it, and then groans. "No, that's not it. I know where we diverged, obviously. The minute we all came back in time with Karkat, that's where things went differently. But... I just can't figure out how that lead to this! And I don't just mean _You,_ June."  
  
"Oh, that's good," you say, because you don't really know what else to say. "I guess. What else do you mean?"  
  
"What do I mean?" he echoes, and you just sort of sit and stare out at the water while he thinks over his words.   
  
You know that pensive look. You've seen it enough times before all of this to know that he's trying to pick apart his words and...   
  
"I guess," he finally says. "I mean that..." he pauses for a moment. "So. At the Wedding. There was this other me that showed up in the Unending, right?"  
  
"Right." You nod, having heard the story. You also have a vague memory of being there, except you clearly shouldn't have been and weren't. (Metaphysics are weird, as Rose would say.)  
  
"But Polendina said that he and I were Diverged Enough that we didn't merge together like it should have been happening," He says. "...But fundamentally, he looked like me. He sounded like me. Talked like me. He should have still been Me, Right? Just with the name John Egbert instead of John Sheppard."  
  
You don't mention to him that your memories, vauge as they are of the Unending, are primarily from the perspective of that other John Egbert, and only barely from John Sheppard's point of view.  
  
"I... kinda get what you mean," you say. "It's like you feel like you're someone else entirely, right? That you should be that person but suddenly aren't in ways it should count?"  
  
"Yeah," he says. "And then there's that Replicator Me that's wandering around. We've done some talking. Comparing Time lines... He didn't have his Jade and Argo together with him. They went off together in his timeline and cut him out."  
  
A small portion of your soul feels oddly relieved knowing that, and at the same time somewhat sad. Happy, relief, vindication at knowing you're not destined to date YOUR Jade and Nepeta. And then there's the sadness. How lonely does that John Sheppard have to feel right now?  
  
"But then there's more to it than that," he says. "They never had powers. None of them. Not even from genetic modification. That John Sheppard wasn't even adopted as an Egbert to begin with. He was just John Sheppard through all the stupid timeline bullshit that happened to me anyways, but that was just who he was. Born that way. Not even adopted."   
  
Huh.  
  
That's...  
  
"That's, Weird," you say, a bit hesitantly.  
  
"Tell me about it," he sighs, once more running a hand through his hair. "I guess the thing that's getting me is... Who am *I* at this point?" He looks to you. "'Cause obviously John Egberts have a tendency to not want to BE John Egberts after a while!"   
  
"Yeah," you can't help but feel a laugh coming on, hearing that statement. "I guess so!"  
  
"But, here's the thing," he says. "Clearly, Ford knows there are more John Sheppards out there in the multiverse. Sees them happen. Interacts with them on some level. HOW many of them were born John Egbert versus John Sheppard? And the thing that's really bugging me about all of this..."  
  
"Is where did John Egbert diverge into John Sheppard and June Egbert?" You finish for him.  
  
"Yeah. That. Exactly," He nods.  
  
For a few moments, you're both silent, pondering the question over and over again as the waves lap against the pier.  
  
Finally, you speak: "What if... we didn't diverge?"  
  
"Huh?" He asks, looking at you.  
  
"Like, it's kinda crazy, but..." you work your mouth for a moment, no doubt sharing that same pensive 'gathering words' expression on your face. "What if when we were born, when we were made, we weren't just one soul in one body?"  
  
John Sheppard considers that question for a long time, and yet no time at all feels like it passes.  
  
"You mean like... when we were born, both of us were in the same body, not mixed, but pressed so close together that we thought we were the same person?" he asks.  
  
"Yeah, I guess," you shrug. "I mean... you haven't really... wanted to be a girl ever, have you?"  
  
He frowns. "If I ever thought about it in passing, I think it was before... before the point of no return and we had to live without-" he hesitates. "Before the Aschen. And Once, I thought about it, but it didn't feel... Like Me. After that I never thought about it again, I know that for sure."  
  
"Then that's the point where we split," you decide. "You went through that timeline, John Sheppard through and through, leaving me behind in this timeline, June Egbert, until you looped back around to make the split in the first place."  
  
"That's just..." He pauses. "I mean, it's weird, but it makes a hell of a lot of sense."  
  
Then, there's a ding from the tablet. John decaptchalogues it, and peers at the screen. "Jimmy wrote back..."  
  
"Well?" You ask.  
  
"...Apparently Roxy accidentally summoned that fish from the void after falling asleep and having a Nightmare last night, and it went sprawling into the ocean after he jolted awake," he sighs.   
  
You sigh as well.  
  
Together, you mutter, "Rogue of Void Powers strike again." Then, you pause and stare at eachother.  
  
It's an eerie moment, but not one born out of any kind of dimensional or soul-related shenanigans. Nope. Right then and there you both can tell-- That was just pure exasperation at being trolled by a nightmare fish conjured literally out of a horrible dream.   
  
"No wonder that fish looked so gross," you say.  
  
"Yeah," he agrees. "Nightmare fuel through and through."  
  
"I say we burn the Captcha Card," you volunteer the idea.  
  
"Already on it," he fishes the card out of his sylladex along with a cigarette lighter.  
  
You eye it hesitantly as he sets the card containing the mutant fish within it on fire. "...Why do you have a cigarette lighter?"  
  
"In case Teyla isn't around and I need to burn something quick," he answers, snapping the lighter shut and captchaloging it again.  
  
He drops the burning card to the metal floor and you both watch the mutant fish burn away.  
  
"I feel like this is symbolic of something," you mutter.  
  
"Rose'll be having a field day for sure," John similarly mutters.  
  
"Let's not tell either of them about the fish?" you offer.  
  
"Agreed," he agrees.  
  
Soon, there's nothing but smoldering ash where the fish-card had been.  
  
"Do you wanna go hang out with the others at the pool?" He asks.  
  
"Yes, please," you nod. "No more fishing for today. It's too existential!"  
  
"Surprisingly so, yeah," he agrees.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are now Daraya Jonjet, and as the group of you pause in a small cave to rest for a few minutes, you pry off your goggles and clean the lenses with the edge of your jacket poking out from beneath your Combat Vest.  
  
Your world goes blurry as you do the act, and then comes back into sharp focus as you put them back on.  
  
...That's not going to stop getting any weirder, honestly.   
  
"Looks like we're getting close," Tyzias mutters, gazing at the map. "If we're lucky and don't stall ourselves for too long we should make it by nightfall."  
  
"That's good," you say.  
  
"Especially given the end of the month is tomorrow night," Harmony agreed. "If I don't make it there before then..."  
  
Then she doesn't become queen.  
  
You look to Harmony and ask, "Who'd benefit if you didn't become queen?"  
  
"Well, the Genii, obviously, if they weren't being controlled by whoever this Ford man is," Harmony says, putting on an air of maturity to her words. "As queen I would ensure we never trade with them again. But... if it were up to my Sisters...?" She frowns.   
  


* * *

  
  
There's No doubt that Mardola immediately looked up as a soft knock came at her door. Because answered it rapidly, opening the door, and scowling at the man on the other side. "You should not be here, Teran!"  
  
However, the man who entered her room was not Teran. Nor was he even Genii. No.  
  
He was YOU. Aiden Ford.   
  
And you play the part with a smile. "I was careful. No one saw me. Don't worry." You retrieve a Genii radio, and hand it to her. "We will use this to communicate from now on."  
  
"Does that mean it's not over yet?" Mardola asks, placing the radio on the table.  
  
"No," you say. "Her two guardians have complicated things greatly." Sheppard and Mckay are quite annoying pests, really. "They've killed four of my men so far."  
  
"Yes, well, they were an unforeseen complication," Mardola scowled. "My apologies. I couldn't stop my sister from hiring them."  
  
You chuckle. "Your apologies do me little good right now."  
  
"We will increase your pay," Mardola says. "Don't worry. Threefold."  
  
"Threefold, huh?" You ask, amused.   
  
"Triple the work, triple the pay," Mardola smiles. It's a sadistic smile you recognize well.  
  
"You want us to kill them all?" you ask.  
  
"Of course," she says. "If they survive, they'll come back and tell my sister that the Genii were involved and we can't have that, can we?"  
  
"Oh, no," you 'agree,' "most definitely not." You give a bow, and take your leave. "It will be done."  
  
Knowing Sheppard and Mckay, though? It's not going to happen. You have Medea looking for them already. You'll find the decoys and delay them- prevent them from being harmed. They're not part of the script, after all.  
  
"Medea," you whisper into your radio, "Tell the men to ignore the women, hunt the Men and kill them on sight. Capture of the Princess is mandatory."  
  
You receive a return whisper, _"As you command, My Lord."_  
  


* * *

  
  
"Mardola, likely," Harmony nods as if sure of something. "I've seen her consorting with a strange man wearing an eyepatch recently."  
  
"An eyepatch, huh?" Tyzias muses, glancing back at you. "What do you think, Daraya? Ford?"  
  
"Yeah," you say. "It's gotta be him."  
  
"Let's keep moving, then," Tyzias says, and you continue moving along your hike through the forest.  
  


* * *

  
  
_**"WOOOO!" SPLOOOSH!**_  
  
June Egbert splashes down into the pool alongside Nepp and Jade, and Keiko and Aradia both yell out- "NO DIVING!"  
  
"We seriously need to get an on duty life guard," your name is John Sheppard, and you slip into the pool much more casually next to Your Jade and Argo.  
  
"Oh, definitely," Jade agrees with a nod. "Way too many people diving into the water today."  
  
"You two have fun fishing?" Argo asks.  
  
"Nah," you say. "Lots of existential meta-verse soul talk compounded by finding one of Roxy's Nightmare induced Void Fish."  
  
"How nightmarish are we talking?" Keiko asks, floating near by.  
  
"Three eyes, human teeth," you elaborate.  
  
"Eew," Keiko scowls. "I'm sorry I asked! So, changing subjects!" She coughed. "Have Daraya and Tyzias come back yet? I was expecting them to be back by now."  
  
"Yeah, changing subjects," you agree. "Tyzias and Daraya reported back a few hours ago. Apparently the royalty of Larris asked them to escort one of the Pirncesses through the forest to some ancient ruins. They'll be back by tomorrow."  
  
"Ah, so just a last minute sort of request, huh?" Keiko sighs. "Oh well!"  
  
"Ah?" Argo asks. "That sounds like fun, a nice hike in the woods. I wonder how that's working out for them?"  
  


* * *

  
  
Daraya suddenly holds up her hand in the signal for 'quiet and stop.'  
  
You are Tyzias Entykk, and you crouch down and pull Harmony behind a tree. You both sit quietly as you listen... listen...  
  
Daraya's ears twitch, and she visibly snarls.  
  
Hand signal- three on left, three on-  
  
That's when "The Beast of the Forest" roars with a sound more closer to a swarm of buzzing insects- and the Genii men scream, and then go silent.  
  
You go to investigate the bodies, and find that "The beast" riddled the Genii men through and through with cauterized holes.   
  
"Ew," Daraya grimaces, and quietly remarks, "They look like Swiss Cheese."  
  
"Yeah," you check their bodies over. What the fucking shit is this? It looks like bullet wounds, but bullet wounds don't cauterize as they cut clean through a body. "What kind of animal does this?" you whisper.  
  
"The Beast protects us," Harmony says, quietly, but with a confident tone. "As the rightful heir to the throne, it must know that we are the ones to be saved."  
  
No wonder she looked underwhelmed by you shooting those men earlier.   
  
Then, a Genii radio buzzes, and- shockingly- you hear an unfamiliar female voice speak up, "Attention all men. Our orders have changed. Kill the three girls on sight, by order of Our Lord, Aiden Ford."  
  
The Dead Queen? Impossible. An estranged sister thinking she WOULD be queen? ...Yeah. Okay. That makes sense.  
  
Well Shit.  
  
"We have to keep moving," you say.   
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Jude Harley, and you exhale in relief as you finish the delicate work of modifying a person's DNA in such a specific way that the modified genes are entirely contained within large Naquadah Nodes- microscopic in scale, but still terrifyingly large.  
  
You're lucky that you have SGC-based transportation to get around with, otherwise going through Airport Security would be a nightmare.  
  
Atleast the lights have stopped blowing out now.  
  
You nod to Cassie, and she scoops the tired, slumbering Penny up into her arms and cuddles her close, whispering apologies for not being able to help as much.  
  
Which is a stupid thing to doubt about herself, considering that she helped walk you through the process of what would achieve the least bad outcome every step of the way. This kind of medical work...  
  
This was years too soon.  
  
You knew it was coming, but... It was still years too soon compared to when Cassie went through it.  
  
...As both a Scientist and a Father, you dread the day when a grown Penny decides to have a kid of her own, because this genetic lineage is just... It's too intense of a change for human bodies to go through all at once.  
  
You just hope that by the time that rolls around, there's been enough Genetic drift that the manifestation of those Bio-electric abilities won't be so drastic of a thing. Maybe if Penny's lucky, any kid she has will already have those powers from the outset and won't have to go through this. Though, if you had YOUR WAY about it, the only kids Penny would have are ones she'd adopted. But, that's probably just wishful thinking and over-protective-dad-mode-ing.   
  
Oh well.   
  


* * *

  
  
You are once again Boldir Lamati, and you return to your shift in the Cafeteria without so much as anyone blinking or batting an eye.  
  
At this point, people know that if YOU are out doing something, it's generally really important.  
  
Nobody asks any questions.  
  
Doctor Jackson steps into line, his mind wondering about all sorts of family related questions.  
  
You give him a sympathetic look and just say, "Daniel. Stop hesitating and go be with them, alright?"  
  
Geeze. Some people you have to just micromanage like nothing else.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Excuse me, is Jude Harley in?"  
  
Your name is Cassandra Fraiser, and you feel the vibes shift in a more positive direction when that question is asked by the D'ni man who just walked into the Hologram room- presently projecting a current Starmap of Pegasus into the air.  
  
"Talk with him," you nod to Jude as you take Penny from him.  
  
"Alright," Jude nods, and goes to speak to Lord Waver El Melloi the Second. "Hello, Sir. I'm Jude Harley. What do you need?"  
  
"A technology request, actually," The D'ni Lord says. "I need you to help Lieutenant Branwen with recreating a device from her timeline."  
  
"...What kind of device?" Jude asks. "Not whatever that weird Werewolf magnet thing was, I hope."  
  
No, you get the feeling the Vibes are saying that's not it at all.  
  
"No, no," The D'ni Lord shakes his head. "Nothing like that, though, the technologies do share a similar ground base of being built upon a Remote Power Source and Stargate Dialing Device."  
  
Jude stares at the man for a moment, and you and Penny both can feel the unease he's feeling upon hearing such a declaration of truth.   
  
"...What exactly is it you need us to make, exactly?" Jude asks.  
  
"It's something I'd rather we not talk about in a public space like this," The D'ni Lord says. "If you're interested in working in the project, please meet me and Lieutenant Branwen in Laboratory 618 on the South-West Pier at..." he glances at his watch. "Say in about three hours?"  
  
"I'll think on it," Jude says.  
  
"Very well," with a nod from the D'ni Lord accepting it, he leaves.  
  
Jude meanders over to you, and sits down on the floor next to you. "...What the hell?" he asks.  
  
"You should go do it," you say. "Talk to them, whatever it is."  
  
Jude frowns. "Are the vibes that bad?" he asks.  
  
"They're definitely not as good if you decide not to go," you tell him.  
  
"Shit," Jude swears.  
  


* * *

The sun was setting, casting an eerie light on a strangely familiar set of ruins as you three descend from a hill and overlook the small clearing they're set within.  
  
Your name is Tyzias Entykk, and you catch onto whats happening immediately. "The Ruins of Larris are an Ancient Testing Ground."  
  
"Really?" Daraya asks.  
  
"Look at the way those pillars are all set out. Seven sets of spires, six surrounding a central one," you point at the central spire. "Look familiar?"  
  
Daraya gazes at it, and gasps. "It's Atlantis!"  
  
Yep, sitting before you is a miniature replica of the City of Atlantis- or, rather, the City Ship style Atlantis is cast in. Only the central pillar appears to be made out of metal, however.  
  
"Finally, the ruins," Harmony smiles in relief. "We made good time!"  
  
"I think we managed to out-pace the Genii," you say. "Let's get you to the center platform and-!"  
  
There's a flicker of warping space suddenly, next to that central panel, and suddenly, Aiden Ford is standing there, eyes looking up at you and Daraya and Harmony.  
  
That wasn't right. That was too clean for Ford's Heart-powers warping him around. Something was off about it, but... what?  
  
"Shit," you swear as several armed, mutated Genii men exit the forest from similar warps of space time. What the fuck? Did Ford figure out how to teleport other people now too? No, those were the same kind of warps- No. NOT THE TIME. FOCUS, TYZIAS! "Ford! What the hell, man!?"  
  
"Well, well, well," Ford claps his hands- and you notice there's a crystal held in one of them- no doubt a control mechanism for the central pillar. "Nicely played, decoys. But you're not going to get anywhere close to this platform. Just stay where you are, and wait patiently until Sheppard and Mckay arrive with the real princess."  
  
"This is Sacred Ground and I AM the real Princess!" Harmony accuses. "Leave immediately or I will prove it to you the moment I touch that pillar!"  
  
"I doubt it. Even if you were the real princess, you're not proving anything. Not without This you're not," Ford holds the crystal up. Shit. You were right. "I pulled it from the console about an hour ago. Doesn't matter who touches this thing, or what fancy keys you may or may not have in the shape of a pendant or necklace... It's not powering on without this!" He pockets the crystal. "And I'm not letting anyone touch it. Not until this whole moon cycle's gone past."  
  
"You would sabotage an entire kingdom's fate like this?" Daraya asks. "What the hell, Ford? First kidnapping the Athosians, now this!?"  
  
He narrows his eyes. "I do what I have to do to keep the script on point. Now, tell me where Mckay and Sheppard and the real Harmony are, and I'll let you three live."  
  
"That's not what we heard over the radio," you say. "Your subordinate ordered us killed on sight."  
  
"No, see, I ordered Sheppard and Mckay killed on sight," Ford clarifies.   
  
"Sheppard and Mckay aren't HERE!" You want to tear your hair out- how the hell can he be so fucking blind about this!?  
  
"Sheppard and Mckay are ALWAYS HERE!" Ford yells instead.  
  
...God. That's just-  
  
"Okay, first of all," you massage at the bridge of your nose. "Even if every timeline YOU can see has that happen, doesn't mean that it ALWAYS HAPPENS IN EVERY OTHER TIMELINE!"

Daraya and Harmony both give you looks of "Are you TRYING to get us killed?"  
  
"...No, see," Ford shakes his head. "I don't buy that. Every timeline I see it goes down the same way with Sheppard and Mckay."  
  
"And I'm telling you, things don't work that way," you say. "Statisticly speaking, timelines DON'T follow THAT strict course of action." You glare at him. "What Year do you even think this is on Earth?!"  
  
"The average timeline for this episode of events ends up being around 2007 or 2008," Ford says. remarkably simply.  
  
"...The current Earth year is 2003. You're FIVE YEARS OFF!" you tell him. "And what about Harmony? How old is SHE supposed to be?"  
  
"Thirteen, edging fourteen." Ford answers.  
  
"I'm Nine," Harmony protests.  
  
"Exactly why you're a decoy!" Ford smirks.  
  
Oh for--- Both of your hands smack into your cheeks with a resound slap. OF all the stupid things...   
  
"Ford." You tell him. "Our Timeline doesn't HAVE to follow whatever fucking Roadmap you think you have to be following!"   
  
"YES IT DOES!" Ford yells, stomping towards you and away from the console. "If we don't follow the timeline then we're LOST! There's nothing that matters for our time line! It veers off course into nothing and we get ignored for the rest of eternity! It's all for NOTHING! We HAVE TO FOLLOW THE SCRIPT! WE HAVE TO FOLLOW IT OR ELSE OUR REALITY IS DOOMED TO OBLIVION!!!"  
  
Oh for the love of- Where the FUCK does he even get these ideas from!?  
  
"IF THIS IS A SCRIPT THEN TELL ME MY NAME!" You yell at him.  
  
And Ford doesn't, he just stares at you, like you're asking the impossible of him.  
  
"You CAN'T, can you!?" you huff. "You're so fucking lost inside your own damned SKULL that you can't even remember the timeline you're IN anymore, can you!? You just know it's 'off the rails' and thus has to be 'put back on track' but you can't even DO THAT because YOU DON'T EVEN REMEMBER MY NAME!" you snarl.   
  
Ford stands there.  
  
He stands there silently.  
  
He stands there for several long moments.  
  
Then, he removes the crystal from his pocket and drops it on the ground. "Fine." He says. "You win this round, whoever you are." And then-  
  
He's gone. And the mutated Genii are gone, and you're just left in the forest alone.   
  
They're gone in those same weird, spatial warps that weren't Ford's Static flickering.   
  
"...Did..." Daraya coughs. "Did you just tell him off from doing whatever horribad shit he planned on doing by asking him to remember your name??"  
  
"Well... it worked didn't it?" You ask, moving to pick up the crystal. "Now let's fix this thing and get going."  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Ruby Branwen, and you knock hesitantly at the Laboratory door.  
  
"Enter," you receive the order from inside, and enter. Much to your surprise, Gray and Lord El Melloi are not the only ones here. Though, the D'ni Lord is busy texting on his hand-worn KI Device, so Gray handles those introductions in short order, introducing you to Jude Harley of SG-1, Akita Red, and Alloyd Armadn- a Fae Fighter and a Linguist from the Translation department, respectively.  
  
The latter two are pouring over a couple ancient looking letters, making note translations along the way- and return to their work just as soon as they acknowledge your presence.  
  
"So," Jude begins. "Lord El Melloi tells me that you've got blueprints memorized for the weird device you guys had to destroy on the moon?"  
  
"Most of the basic parts, yeah," you nod. "The D'ni, and Goa'uld Tech parts, really. The Bahro technology is... not really my wheel house? And that was what was causing all of the original problems anyways, so there's no big deal about a repeat performance."  
  
"I still don't really understand what it is we're being asked to Make here," Jude says.  
  
"I dunno either, but Gray and Lord El Melloi say it's critically important we make it work?" you shrug.  
  
Gray nods, not saying much beyond giving Jude a strange, almost uncomfortable look. Does she know him from somewhere? Jude doesn't seem to really have the same reaction at all, which is... weird. But hey, maybe Gray's just nervous about being in a room with so many unfamiliar people.  
  
"I'll explain shortly," The D'ni Lord says, tapping away at his KI device. "Just give me a minute, please."  
  
"Sooo... can I ask why those two are here?" You look at Akita and Armadn.  
  
"Translation work," Gray says.   
  
"Indeed," Lord Waver El Melloi nods.  
  
"Oh," Jude answers, "apparently one of those letters was written in the Fae Script, but used it as a phonetic replacement for straight up Alternian. No idea why that'd happen, though."   
  
"Geeze," you say, "someone sure was paranoid about their security, weren't they?  
  
"As for why I asked them here," The D'ni Lord says, finishing his messaging. "That's mainly due to a recent rescue they performed. One of my subordinates was rescued on that mission, and vouched for their work. I needed something translated, and they've promised to keep their results quiet."  
  
Predictably, those two ignore the entire conversation about them and continue on with their translating work.   
  
("No no no!" Akita not-so-quietly complains. "Who the hell puts those syllables together like that!? That just makes it seem like you're implying bad things about someone's mother in my language!"  
  
"Someone who was just going for a syllabistic replacement cypher of the languages," Armadn answers.)  
  
"Alright," you say. "Fair enough. Sooo. What are we here for?"  
  
"Why it's simple," The D'ni Lord smiled. "You're building a pocket sized Super Nova."  
  
"Hahaha," Jude laughs, and then flatly states the word _**"What."**_  
  


* * *

  
  
The glowing swarm of Mini-Drones circling Harmony was a sight to behold.  
  
Your name is Tyzias Entykk, and you whistle lowly in approval as the girl's mental control seems fine enough to make the things swarm in patterns and fancy shapes.  
  
"Not bad, kid," you appraise, "not bad at all."  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: MARCH 30TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 10/11/0006.**  
  
Mardola was in her room, reading a book on "How to Greet the Royal Court" when the door to her room slammed open, and guards, followed by Harmony, Tyzias, Daraya, and Flora enter the room.  
  
"What's the meaning of this!?" Mardola asked, getting to her feet as the guards began searching her room. "These are my private quarters!"  
  
"It's all right, Mardola," Flora warned her. "They've already searched my room. You should allow it."  
  
"WHY!?" Mardola asked, angry. Oh so very angry.   
  
"Some horribly mutated Genii soldiers attacked us in the forest," Daraya explains.  
  
"...Oh," Mardola puts on a look of sympathy. "It was a good thing you two were there, then."  
  
"They knew the location of the Ruins, Mardola," Flora's tone was accusational.  
  
"You say that as if I would know!" Mardola began to counter when a guard placed the Genii radio down on the table.   
  
Mardola looks to her sisters- Flora, who looks so disappointed, and Harmony, who stares, hurt flaring painfully across her young face.  
  
"Y..." Mardola begins. "You are far too young to be queen, Harmony!"   
  
"Perhaps," Harmony's face hardens far more than a nine year old should be able to manage, and her voice is frozen solid, like a polar ice cap plunged into the dark season. "But when you're released from prison, you'll be too old to remember."  
  
Mardola began to cry as she was arrested by the guards, and though there very much still stuff that could be said regarding the matter....  
  
There was nothing else that would be said about the matter.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are now the MYSTERIOUS WOMAN, MEDEA.   
  
You need no other introduction.  
  
_Yet._  
  
Aiden Ford teleported into the ruins of an abandoned church- several cages of giant metal spikes were scattered everywhere, full of slumbering, trapped Athosians left to lay waiting for a future they were uncertain of.  
  
You smile as you see his confused expression. Oh so lost and confused. Trying to sort out his own memories once again.  
  
Whether he figures it out or not doesn't matter to you. You'll play the part of the devoted follower for long enough to get what you need.   
  
You're close enough that you might not need to play this role for very much longer... and then you'll flip the script. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jude and Cassie running into Penny's Hanka native powers manifesting early was a thing that was alluded to *WAAAY* back when Penny first appeared- given she had the same naquadah nodes that Cassandra had made for her.  
\---  
The June/John divide was something that I've foreshadowed way back in Unending, you'll notice. John Sheppard was *different enough* from John Egbert that they didn't have their bodies merged together in that plane. This, of course, was all a meta nod to the fact that I essentially wrote John Egbert into this story to have a splinter who eventually *became* John Sheppard, thus merging those two characters into one for a time, only to have them diverge. 
> 
> June Egbert becoming a canon-to-homestuck-via-a-candy-bar thing just made the divide all the wider and more noticeable, in the end. 
> 
> This is an entirely different reason for Adult John to remain male while the younger transitioned to female than it was for the Roxys to do the same staying female/transitioning male divide that was an echo of the Epilogues Roxys. On a pure, fundamental level, there were always MEANT to be Two Johns that started from the same origin in this timeline. 
> 
> I suppose that means I should probably have made the Atlantis-era ship tags being John Sheppard instead of John Egbert... but oh well, narrative consistency with the tags previous to that, I suppose, needed to be followed. I'll probably update that for A6A6.... maybe.  
\---  
Eh? The Fish? I'm referencing a prop from one of Adam Savage's recent Cosplays- the No-Face with the animated jaw. One of the fish that got made for the costume to "eat" was a red fish w/ 3 eyes and human teeth put into it.
> 
> I just wanted to make a reference to that, honestly.  
\---  
Soooo.... Ford's working with someone else. That was subtly being implied the last few chapters. Someone making an army Mantis Men which- let's be honest- isn't the smartest of moves. And is someone who is also getting a bunch of Wraith Worshippers to bow to her instead? Daring, that. Very daring. 
> 
> I'll be honest here. This is another Fate character expy. Sort of. Given that Most Fate Servants are literally Mythological figures, you can look up Medea's lore and backstory and figure out where this is going, most likely. 
> 
> If you do so, you'll probably see some very interesting coincidences popping up. What those are, I'll leave quiet for the Story itself to bring up- because it will. On that end, if you happen to look up Medea's backstory and history, or are already aware of it from FATE, I'd humbly request it not be mentioned in the comment section just yet.  
\---  
I really enjoy taking ostensibly filler episodes and making something larger out of their plots. After this episode, the plot really came together and I ended up writing almost every remaining chapter without much plot-lock enforced time to stop. The only day the last few days I did zero writing was saturday, and I'm already starting work on the final chapter of this Act. I haven't word counted 'em, but I'm apologizing in advance if there's another streak of 10k chapters at the end of this act. >_>;;; 
> 
> And speaking of the next chapter:  
SGA:04X15: Outcast  
In Which Shit Hits The Fan.


	33. SGA:04X15: Outcast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> <s>In Which Shit Hits The Fan.</s>   
<s>Probably for, like, the 100th time or something? 200th? Geeze, there's a lot of times the poo hits the whirling blade devices, eh?</s>
> 
> No, you know what, we can do better than that for a summary.
> 
> In Which someone is Back-stabbed and dethroned from the Recurring Antagonist position, and the Canon plot of today's episode is shoved into the background to be dealt with mostly off screen in favor of new and exciting content!

**EARTH DATE: APRIL 12TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 10/23/0006.**  
  
Your name is Mallek Adalov, and you check your watch as you finish gearing up. A good five minutes early, but it'll do.  
  
You make your way to the gate room, meeting up with Keiko, Tyzias, and Daraya along the way.   
  
"So, the way I see it," Daraya is saying to Keiko as you join up with them. "They're severely tempting fate by announcing they're going to build a Titanic TWO down to every last nut and bolt!"  
  
"Oh, I agree," Keiko nods. "Even just ANNOUNCING it, so many years ahead of its planned launch, let alone the day it's supposed to start construction, is just... so much getting ahead of the game they're going to run into SO much trouble."  
  
AR-2 arrives in the Gate room, to half of the awaiting AR-9, already there- A rust blooded Alternian Major named Samual Ehvans- or "Soul Eater" as he used to be known back in the day in Alternia Tablestickball Leagues- and a Human Lieutant named Maka Albarn, who you're less familiar with the backstory of.  
  
Ehvans, atleast, you know from seeing him on TV back in the day. Before the whole Alternia got its moons crashing down on it thing.   
  
"Adalov," Ehvans grins a fangy grin. "Fancy meeting you here."  
  
"Ehvans," you nod in turn. "You know how it is. Missions come up at the last minute and people get flung together where appropriate."  
  
With AR-1 requested to come help SG-1 out with some Home-brewed Replicator problem back in Milky Way, that leaves AR-2 to pick up the slack when the Replicator Cloned AR-1 radioed in with a lead on the Missing Athosian problem.  
  
Your usually requested backup of Major Lorne's team, AR-3, was belly up from the get go since they were offworld doing their usual thing, and so Director Jolinar made an executive decision and assigned backup.  
  
Tyzias glances to Lt. Albarn and asks, "Had any luck finding a replacement for Doctor Simpson yet?"  
  
Doctor Nick Simpson had very politely and quietly transferred out of Atlantis entirely after that recent thing with the Wraith Worshippers and the fucking cliff hanging. He'd gone back to Earth, so you heard, leaving the team without a dedicated Scientist.  
  
"Yeah, Akita's recruiting someone for today's mission," Albarn nods. "Someone she trusts, a Friend, she said."  
  
"Which is a weird thing to hear Her say," Ehvans remarks. "Girl's like a wild wolf most days. She'll tollerate you but kinda keeps to herself, y'know? I didn't think she had any friends. Then again, maybe she's just happy Simpson left."  
  
"Soul, that's a really rude thing to say," Albarn scolded her teammate.  
  
"C'mon, I know you're thinking it too, Maka," Ehvans crosses his arms. "Admit it, she's Changed after we all got cliff hung like that. I swear I haven't seen her smile this much in the entire time she's been on our team. Either she MET someone, or it's 'cause Simpson left."  
  
"Or maybe she's just getting used to being around us," Albarn pointed out. "Ever think of that?"  
  
Daraya can't help but laugh. "Well, getting to know someone you can really work with helps with team cohesion, that's for sure."  
  
"Yeah, sure, Jonjet," Ehvans remarks. "I get it, your whole team's all quadrant locked in some way or another. And no offense, But it's hard to get something like that when people don't want to get along. Simpson was a prick, most days. Good riddance, I say. Maybe whoever this new guy is will be better for team cohesion."  
  
"That I'll agree with," Albarn says. "But seriously, Simpson wasn't all that bad, once upon a time. Wasn't he dating that Kavanagh guy before he left?"  
  
"I thought that was Mizonski?" Ehvans asks in turn.  
  
"Either way, I think most of Simpson being a prick came from a bad breakup," Albarn said.  
  
"Hah! You did say he was a prick, though!" Ehvans laughed, as if being proven right.  
  
"Lately, sure, but..." Albarn shook her head. "Damn it, how did we even get on this topic again?"  
  
You glance at your watch, and observe, "Waiting for your missing teammates to show up?"  
  
"Ah, right, that," Albarn nodded, curtly.   
  
About a minute and a half later, Akita Red came meandering down the hallway, dragging a somewhat hesitant Alloyd Armadn behind her.   
  
...Man, you get the feeling today is going to be a long day.

* * *

[ **o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg)

* * *

Your name is Rodney Mckay, and honestly, you'd rather be hunting Replicators on Earth right now...  
  
But, the Maintenance of EM GENERATORS protecting the still mostly kid-based population of M7G-677 takes priority.   
  
...Normally, you wouldn't mind the usual hanger-ons that stick around and watch you work, but today, you've got to deal with a DIFFERENT set of young kids, who are asking all sorts of questions and apparently gearing themselves up to be future scientists.  
  
It'd be adorable, if it weren't delaying the work for hours longer than it needed to.   
  
You get the feeling today is going to be a long day.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is John Sheppard, and- WOW- Is this whole 'blackmail from the IOA' thing reaping so many dividends, it's not even funny.  
  
"So... let me get this straight," you summarize, gazing into the SGC interrogation room where a woman named AVA DIXON sits inside. "She comes to the SGC, explaining that Stanton Research- a subsidiary division of Devlin Medical Technology, was working on taking ALL of that tasty Nanite research they were doing and made a Human Form Replicator. Illegally. Not even sanctioned."  
  
"That's right so far," Cameron Mitchel nods.  
  
"And even though that Replicator can't self replicate, the IOA finds out, and tries to stop them- Not out of fear of Replicators getting loose, but because they were trying to cover up everything that happened with DMT and Henry Wallace and some greedy schmuck wanted to take all the research for themselves for, and I quote, 'research into immortality'?" You continue.  
  
Mitchel nods. "Yep."  
  
"And thus Ava's boss- Doctor Richard Poole, the head scientist- ordered all their research destroyed to keep it out of the hands of the IOA, and went to shut down the Replicator, except it realized what was happening, attacked everyone, killed two guards, and managed to escape. And thus SHE now needs our help in tracking the Replicator and stopping it?"  
  
"That about sums it up, yeah," Mitchel says.  
  
"Oh!" Vala Mal Doran chimes in. "You forgot the part where we ran scans and found out that SHE HERSELF is a Replicator and didn't even know it!'  
  
"I was getting to that," you say, glancing at her with a wry smile. "But thanks."  
  
"You are so very welcome!" Vala beams with a wide grin.  
  
"Anyways, yeah," Mitchel says, "that's about the whole sorry tale so far."  
  
"So... what's our first move?" you ask.  
  
"We find Poole," Mitchel says. "And if we find Poole, we find his research. Maybe we can track the Replicator down with that."  
  
"Ah, fun," you say, getting the feeling that today is going to be a very long day.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Keiko Ayano, and you lead AR-2 up the hill towards where Repli-AR-1's Sheppard is hunkered down. AR-9 trails behind you all.   
  
"Sheppard," you greet.   
  
"Ayano," Repli-Sheppard greets, gazing through his binoculars down at a small, seemingly abandoned village, save for that the lights are still on.  
  
"What's the situation?" You ask.  
  
"Ronon and Teyla picked up a rumor about a small village that got wiped out by a plague a few weeks back," Repli-Sheppard explains. "But the place was thought to be inhabited by ghosts, at least until a kid escaped from the place and made it to the next town over. Wex, Athosian. Weir and Ronon are with him right now."  
  
"We know him," Tyzias says. "What happened?"  
  
"He couldn't remember Atlantis' gate address, and didn't want to draw attention to himself, but he managed to hide away with a Merchant, who sent his assistant out for trade deals," Repli-Sheppard answers. "Said Assistant passed out rumors about the town and ghosts, and we picked up on it. Specifically, we picked up on key words from an Earth Movie that definitely shouldn't have been mentioned here in Pegasus."  
  
"What key words were that?" Mallek asks.  
  
"The 'ghosts' were apparently singing the theme to Ghostbusters," Repli-Sheppard answers coyly, taking away the binoculars, and handing them to you. "Check out the church."  
  
"Ah, yeah," Albarn mutters as you take the binoculars and gaze into the village, "That'd do it alright."  
  
You spy a bunch of men with Wraith Stunners and dressed in Genii clothing, looking pale, ghostly, and slightly mutated into looking somewhat like Wraith. They're clearly guarding the church for some reason.  
  
"Tyzias, they look like Ford's guys?" you hand the Binoculars over.  
  
She gazes out, and agrees, "Yeah. Those are Ford's men alright. I recognize the scrappy one on the left from Larris." She hands the Bionoculars back, and you pass them back to Repli-Sheppard.  
  
"Teyla and Rodney are circling the town, checking for tech-based defenses," Repli-Sheppard informs you. "They'll be back in about..." He checks his watch. "Five minutes, give or take."  
  
"So," Ehvans muses. "I guess the question is, depending on what they find, do we sneak in, rush them, or do we cause a distraction that draws attention away from the church?"  
  
"I'd lean distraction," you say. "We split up, AR-9 causes the distraction, AR-2, AR-1 sneaks in and see where the Athosians are being held in there. Rescue Mission commences from there. Any objections?"  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me," Repli-Sheppard says.  
  
"It's cool with me," Ehvans smirks.   
  
"If it's a distraction you want," Akita suddenly says. "Lloyd and I can provide the bulk of it."  
  
"Is that why you asked me to come along?" Armadn asks, raising an amused eyebrow.   
  
"I did consider it a possibility," Akita chuckles. "However... No. I mainly just wanted to get you out of that library for a change. Stretch your legs, so to speak. It just so happens we need you to stretch your wings instead."  
  
"Well, it'll catch Ford off guard, at least," Daraya says.   
  
"That it will," Tyzias nods.  
  
"I feel like I'm missing something," Repli-Sheppard says, "But I'm just going to roll with it and agree that he's not going to see it coming."   
  


* * *

  
  
Several minutes later...  
  
There was a sudden burst of green light, and a large Wyvern/Dragon emerged from over a hill. It ROARED, and all eyes went towards it as it rushed towards the abandoned village and began letting loose large torrents of emerald flames from its mouth- scorching the streets with green soot marks as it went.  
  
All of the combat capable people of Fords that were in the village grabbed their guns and made their way towards the Dragon, seeking to take it out as quickly as possible.  
  
Needless to say, as soon as the first wave got near the Dragon, they did not expect a bright, white furred werewolf with three tails to suddenly drop down from atop the Dragon's head, and began slamming them around like they were nothing but pillows.  
  
Those who wisely held back in second and third waves then found themselves being shot at via P-90s from two figures atop the Dragon's back.  
  
"I HAVE TO SAY!" Ehvans called out over the roar of his P-90. "I DID NOT EXPECT TODAY TO BE GOING THIS WAY!"  
  
"SAME HERE!" Maka agreed over the burst fire of her Own P-90. "BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS!"  
  


**"AND THAT'S _'FUN!'_"** Both exclaimed at the same time with a synchronized glee.

* * *

  
  
Aiden Ford snarled, and got up from his research notes- storming over to a window and gazing out into the air outside.  
  
A Dragon? No, a Wyvern, really. It didn't have forelegs, just wings for arms. A WYVERN made out of green energy was swooping around and blasting green fire everywhere. There was a WEREWOLF charging around attacking the guards sent to dispatch the Dragon, and those who weren't occupied with either were being shot at by some unknown people atop the Dragon.  
  
Ford realized instantly what this meant:  
  
"Sheppard's using them as a distraction!" He stormed and went for the prisoner's vault.  
  
Ford had no idea how the hell the Atlantis Expedition had found him, but he was going to have to ensure that he left, and fast, to make sure the rest of his plans didn't get interrupted.  
  
He HAD to complete the Story.  
  
...And at no point did a recent conversation with Tyzias Entykk cross his mind- infact, the whole event had already been suppressed and supplanted by another timeline's version of events thanks to some cunning use of magic.  
  


* * *

  
  
A SWAT Team assisted SG-1 and AR-1 raided a Stanton Research Lab, and Richard Poole gave SG-1, Colonel Sheppard, and Ronon Dex a very un-amused look.  
  
Needless to say, everything was soon beamed up into space aboard the in-orbit Apollo.   
  
The 'Good' Doctor refused to co-operate or speak a word, even when he saw that Ava was assisting them.   
  


* * *

  
  
You are once again John Sheppard, and as you and Ronon head down a hallway on the Apollo, trying to figure out what to do, you hear a familiar voice call out.   
  
"Colonel Sheppard, as I live and breathe!"  
  
You turn around, and can't help but laugh. "Well if it isn't Sergent Bates! How're you doing?"   
  
You and he shake hands.  
  
"Not Sergent anymore," Bates shakes his head. "I retired from the Military. It's Special Agent now."  
  
"You know this guy?" Ronon asks.  
  
"Yeah, Bates served on Atlantis when we first got there," you explain. "What are you doing here, Bates? I thought after the beating you took, and the retirement..."

"Yeah, well," Bates rolls his eyes. "Spent some time with the family, but you know how boring a desk job gets after being Military? Well, the NID ended up offering me a job, so, well, here I am. And to be honest? It was them over the IOA." he glanced around cautiously. "If you ask me, while I got no proof, something in my gut tells me some of the same folk wound up in charge over there as I used to work for."  
  
"Eesh," you scowl. "That'd make a whole lot of sense." You shake your head. "Anyways, it's good to see you back on your feet. And good to see you too."  
  
"Likewise, Sir," Bates nods.  
  
"You don't have to call me that anymore," you tell him.  
  
"Yeah, well, old habits and all of that," Bates chuckles. "Sooo... How're our prisoners?"  
  
"Girl's co-operating, and Doctor Poole's... not." You shake your head.  
  
"Think we can track this Replicator without him?" Bates asks.  
  
"Probably, we've got a guy working on it," you answer.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Daraya Jonjet, and you sneak along behind the Replicator Cloned AR-1's Sheppard, Teyla, and Mckay, bypassing traps and the like as you make your way up to and into the church in question.  
  
The whole interior has been heavily reworked around from what it should be, you note. Instead of rows and rows of chairs, there's a bunch of cages made out of spiky metal, and inside those cages are Athosians.  
  
Not all of them, and while you want to say a good half of the original settlement is here, you feel like something's off in that estimate. It's probably smaller. No, something else is weird about the setup here.  
  
There's also a MAGIC USER standing at the podium that most speakers would speak from. You can't see most of her form from beneath the heavy blue cloak, but you can see bare skinned, shapely legs from the sides of the slits cut into the otherwise ankle length dress, and the lower half of a feminine face from beneath the hood, mumbling words you can't quite pick out even with your Werewolf ears even as magic swells in pale, golden circles around her arms.  
  
You glance to Keiko, who looks like she vaguely recognizes this lady, then to Tyzias and Mallek, who look annoyed.  
  
After the most major of physical changes settled in the galaxies following The Rift Opening, there were those who began to experiment, and find that beyond their original, innate powers, they could start doing other things too. Some people had a few things... Others began to style themselves after Wizards and Witches and other Mage Archetypes as their reservoir of magic abilities grew and grew.  
  
This lady, whoever she is, seems to have allied with Ford for some reason. The Dragon Roaring from outside doesn't seem to distract her from whatever she's doing. 

That's... _weird. _  
  
Wait. Could this be the reason Ford had a different Teleporting effect back on Larris?  
  
That's when she stops whatever she's doing, there's a flicker of Ford's new warping, teleporting effect, and Ford appears, striding angrily out of nowhere.  
  
"Medea!" he orders, "Begin preparation to transport these Prisoners to-!"  
  
RepliTeyla doesn't give him a chance to finish that sentence, because she leaps out from cover and tackles the man to the ground. There's a brief struggle.  
  
"My Lord!" The lady, Medea, you guess, cries out in shock... but she does nothing to help.  
  
...Weird. Concerning, too. She doesn't actually... sound all that shocked or concerned?  
  
"We'll distract them!" Repli-Sheppard whispers, "You guys go free the Athosians on my mark."  
  
Keiko nods in agreement while Repli-Mckay asks, "What? We will??"  
  
And then Repli-Sheppard dives out of cover, aiming his laser sighted gun straight at the Magic Lady's hooded forehead. "DON'T MOVE OR YOU GET A BULLET IN YOUR HEAD!"  
  
"I guess we are then!" Repli-Mckay grouches and moves out to provide cover fire if need be.  
  
Ford gets very much pinned to the floor by Repli-Teyla, whose eyes glow yellow in anger.  
  
"Sheppard!" Ford growls from the ground. "It's too soon for this confrontation!" He tries to flicker away with his usual static burst- you can SEE the static build up- but doesn't go anywhere and the static just disperses. "Wh-What!? What are you doing to me, Teyla!? Why can't I teleport!?"  
  
"I am doing nothing but holding you still, Aiden!" Repli-Teyla snarls at him, "Now stop struggling before you cause anymore harm!"  
  
"What and where is the key to Release the Prisoners," Repli-Sheppard orders the Mage Lady, Medea. "Tell me, or I have my friends start searching for it!"  
  
That's your signal, you guess, because Keiko steps out of cover. You and the rest follow suit.  
  
"Miss Tyzias! Miss Daraya!" one of the kids in the cages- Jinto- calls out.   
  
Shit. Jinto's here? That's not surprising. But... you don't see his father anywhere. Actually. Most of the people in these cages lean towards the younger side of the Athosian settlement's population, now that you're looking at them.   
  
"Okay! Okay!" Medea says, and raises her hands in an objective surrender motion. "I'll tell you now. There's no key to dismiss the spike cages. They're made of solid metal. I can make them disperse, however. If you'll let me cast the spell?"  
  
"Pull any funny business, and you and Ford both die," Repli-Sheppard states for the record.  
  
"Fine!" Media pleads. "Kill him if you want! Just... Don't kill me! I'm only working for him because he rescued me from another world."  
  
...Wait. That sounds... _off_. For Ford. Why would he-?  
  
"Like Hell you are, You backstabber!" Ford yells. "I can't teleport because of you!"  
  
"I have no idea how you could ever think that about me!" Medea claims, sounding heart broken. "Now... I'll release the Prisoners!"

And she casts a very basic spell- you recognize the Alfheim Syntax almost immediately for a simple "Dissolve Metal" spell- causing some spikes of the metal cages to melt away with a pale burst of golden light.  
  
Wait. What? Something's not right here.  
  
"Everyone, this way," Keiko tells the Prisoners as they escape from the cages. "Follow us! Please!"  
  
_Something's not right._  
  
Lloyd's energy dragon roars, and you could care less about the events going on outside.  
  
_**Something doesn't feel right at all.**_  
  
"I TRUSTED YOU!" Ford yells. "You came to me offering me the ability to teleport my troops and now I can't teleport AT ALL?? I CAN'T MOVE because of YOU!!!"  
  
"I seriously don't know what you're talking about, My Lord!" The Witch- that's the only term you can think of in the moment- says with as innocent, yet as Utterly HURT of a tone of voice as she can manage.   
  
"MEDEAAAA!" Ford roars, and he struggles beneath Repli-Teyla- his bodily form struggling to use his powers in some way. None of it seems to be working.  
  
"AIDEN! STOP THIS!" Repli-Teyla orders.  
  
"Medea," you hear Keiko mutter as you help funnel the Athosians out of the Church. "Medea... Why do I know that name?"  
  
"Take off your hood," Repli-Sheppard orders.  
  
"Very well," the lady in question removes her hood... and you double take upon seeing a pair of very pointed, Faerie ears poking out from a well groomed mane of long, silky, pale blue, slightly purple hair.  
  
Her eyes gleam a very similar color to that hair. ...Undine?? But- wait- No. You've heard a story from Silica and Keiko once, haven't you? Something to do with a Library on Alfheim that Oberonn wanted hidden away??  
  
Keiko catches on faster than you do, exclaiming- "RULE BREAKER!"  
  
Medea glances at her, a slight smirk forming on her lips. "Oh? You've heard of me? I guess you must be from Alfheim, then!"  
  
Keiko whips out her P-90 and opens fire on the witch without so much of a warning. Each and every bullet gets absorbed by some kind of magic portal that appears infront of her for brief moments- flashing pink spirographs of magical energy.  
  
"Wait- What!?" Repli-Mckay asked- genuinely shocked.  
  
Media- The Undine Witch known as RULE BREAKER- begins to smile even as Repli-Sheppard joins in on well placed head-aimed bullet shots.  
  
All of them go into a portal just the same.  
  
"Ah, and to think I was hoping to skate by unnoticed until you dealt with "my Lord" for me," Media sighed. "Oh well. _**[RULE BREAKER.]**_"  
  
She snaps her fingers- and then Ford SCREAMS- and Repli-Teyla is thrown off of him by literal magic.  
  
You are all thus forced to watch as multiple souls worth of glowing pink energy get ripped out of Aiden Ford, dragged across the room, and zip into another magic portal the Witch had created. When it stops, Aiden Ford is a whimpering, shriveled husk of himself lying on the floor, and the Undine Witch spreads her glowing wings and takes into the air. No amount of Gunfire that follows can touch her. Her stupid spirograph portals just catch them all.  
  
"It's been fun, but I have what I was after," she smirked. "You'll find the Athosians when I'm good and ready for you to."   
  
And then there's a flicker-zap of static- Ford's teleporting ability- and she's utterly gone.  
  
"...Fucking hell," you swear.   
  
"...Anyone want to tell me just what the fuck just happened?" Tyzias asks.  
  
"Long story short?" Keiko scowls. "We just met the lady who 'Cursed' Alfheim because of King Oberonn being a pig in Fae flesh."  
  
"I thought that was because of the power core?" Mallek asks, frowning.  
  
"Yeah, well, that doesn't mean there wasn't a real Person who said there was a Curse to begin with," you scowl. "And we just met her."  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is MORDRED PENDRAGON, and you stare down from the high up balcony railing of a tall warehouse's fire escape.  
  
The Replicator lies on the ground, a Knife stuck in his back, and struggling to get to his feet again.  
  
Holy Fucking SHIT. It took you two hours to track this guy down, fight him to a near death, and even when you THREW HIM OFF OF A FUCKING WAREHOUSE ROOF he's STILL ALIVE!  
  
Fucking Terminators!!  
  
But the Knife...  
  
That Knife with a built in transponder that Sheppard managed to jab in the Bot's back before you knocked him over the edge will have to do.  
  
"Apollo," you radio, pushing past the pain. "Beam Target Now."  
  
You watch with a flicker of white light, a **_PVVVM SHING,_ **and the Replicator is gone, taken to high orbit.  
  
You exhale in relief, and slump down to the fire-escape's floor, wincing in pain as you go.  
  
That Replicator hit hard, damn it.  
  
"Also," you add. "I'll probably need a medical pick up. Owww..."  
  
"Hey!" Sheppard calls down from a few floors up- actually on the warehouse roof itself. "You okay down there, Mordred??"  
  
"I'll be fine! Probably!" you wince. "It hurt more when I broke my shoulder, honestly!"  
  
A moment later- the light of a teleport washes over you, and you're beamed directly to the SGC's infirmary.  
  


* * *

  
  
"So... we've confirmed that the Replicator's cells have shut down with exposure to hard Vacuum. That said, it'll burn up in low earth orbit soon enough," Your name is Cameron Mitchel, and you massage at the bridge of your nose. "So. There's THAT problem solved."  
  
"That just leaves what to do with me, doesn't it?" Ava Dixon asks. "I may have been born human, but having my entire mind mapped into an artificial body is just dangerous. I should have died a long time ago." She sighs. "One way or another, this technology needs to be destroyed, and if it ends with me, it ends with me."  
  
"Well, see, there's two options we have to offer there," you begin. "One of them is... Well... We put you in a virtual reality simulation to live out the rest of your life."  
"That sounds boring, and also probably very depressing," Ava frowns. "What's option two?"  
  
"See... there's this project, called the Unwritten... and they've been developing A.I. suites to help manage the systems for their Dimension Crossing Spaceship." You pause. "You're right in that we can't let your body stick around, but... Your mind? Your consciousness? We have a way that we could transfer that into their systems. And if you want it, there's a job opening for a Scientist with your qualifications."  
  
"So... be in VR, alone, for the rest of my life, or be a part of an Expedition into other Dimensions with other people?" Ava considers it. "...I think the obvious answer is obvious."  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Silica, and you watch as AR-2, and a multitude of rescued Athosians exit through the Stargate into Atlantis once more.  
  
There's no sign of the Replicator Cloned AR-1, but considering that the flow of survivors halts soon enough, and there's nowhere near the full amount of every Athosian who was taken present here? It's pretty clear their mission is still going on.  
  
While Teyla rushes over to reunite with her people, AR-9 comes through the Gate, with Major Ehvans and Doctor Armadn hauling a stretcher between them. And lying on that stretcher...?  
  
One comatose Aiden Ford.  
  
Janet Fraiser and a Medical team take him into their care, and move on soon enough.  
  
The Gate Shuts down, and you can't help but swallow in anxious terror at the look in your twin's eyes.  
  
Soon, AR-2, AR-9, you, Minori, Touya, Yuuki, and Director Jolinar are inside the conference room for a debrief.  
  
Keiko opens the matter up simply. "As Silica, Touya, Minori, and I learned during one of our missions against Oberonn back in the day: way back when, King Oberonn of Alfheim was a bit of a sexist jerk, and a Mage cursed him, and the Queen, and all of their people for his behavior. We know now that there was a Castle Ship that got *stuck* in Jotunheim's ice, and its power core leaked radiation that caused that 'curse,' but the historical fact of the matter is, there was a real person who cursed King Oberonn. And due to the amount of effort he put into hiding it, we know for sure that their name was Medea, the Rule Breaker, and that they were an Undine Mage."

Oh.   
  
Fuck.  
  
"They vanished after the curse was cast, and nobody knows where they went, all those thousands of years ago, but... Today?" Keiko shakes her head. "We ran into an Undine Witch named Medea, who recognized the name Rule Breaker, and literally stole Aiden Ford's Heart Powers right out of his very body. No idea how she got here, but... There aren't many people who KNEW that information to such an exact degree. And the fact she has a power that consists of dimensional warping and portals indicates she's got no real trouble getting around."  
  
You say it out loud.  
  
"Well. FUCK."  
  
Nobody disagrees.  
  
**"Hopefully once Ford regains consciousness, we'll be able to find out how these two met,"** Director Jolinar says.** "But for now... let's get into the rest of the mission debrief."**  
  
You tune it out.  
  
Nobody ever thought that Rule Breaker- Medea- was still alive. But she's here? In Pegasus?? And she was working with Ford??  
  
...Fucking hell, things just got a whole hell of a lot more complicated. As if Ford wasn't bad enough, atleast he was following a "Script!"  
  
But Medea?? All of those historical documents painted her as an uncontrollable, unpredictable figure who could break magic spells, binding contracts, steal people's magic knowledge and skills, and who knows what else that never got recorded as myth or legend with just a cry of some strange mystical attack called "Rule Breaker."  
  
And now... she's here. In the present day.  
  
Fucking Hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: INTERMISSION: Relevance, Cloaked or Otherwise.  
\---  
Admittedly, this probably isn't as well foreshadowed as some other twists I've placed into this story have been. As far as villain introductions, it's pretty much as out of nowhere as the canonical Pegasus Replicators were. One or two pieces of stray foreshadowing ahead of time, and bam- sudden villain. 
> 
> I truthfully could not find a way to keep Ford as the Villain character in place of Michael for the remainder of the plot arc. His ability to 'follow the script' was just horribly outmatched by far too many butterflies. Trying to stick to the canon plot just wasn't going to work for Ford, but he was too stubborn in staying locked into following the narrative of other dimensions... A new villain was needed to take his place. One whose plan was NOT meant to follow the canon plot rails. 
> 
> Medea became the role of that Villain. Lurking quietly behind the scenes until her time to take the stage became clear.  
\---  
YAY! Half of the Athosians are freed! WOO! 
> 
> Canonical Home Brewed Replicator on Earth Plot? Finished in the background.
> 
> Lloyd and Akita being boss distractions? Heck yeah!  
\---  
Maka Albarn and "Soul" Ehvans are indeed universal copy expies of the Maka Albarns and Soul "Eater" Evans from the anime Soul Eater. I couldn't help but fit them into here somewhere after rewatching the Anime last month.  
\---
> 
> I've finished writing chapters for A6A4, and I've started in on A6A5: Breaking the Continuum. To say more would be spoilers, hehehehe.


	34. INTERMISSION: Relevance, Cloaked or Otherwise.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even on happy days, dark shadows loom.

**EARTH DATE: APRIL 13TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 10/24/0006.**  
  
It was June Egbert's Birthday today. (And really, when was it never NOT June Egbert's Birthday?)  
  
But while that kid's happiest day was happening, the narrative's camera focuses in on a different problem.  
  
Your name is Jack O'neill, and you and Samantha Carter-O'neill find a nice quiet corner away from the festivities, and talk about the serious situation back in Pegasus.  
  
"So, I'm not sure I get the relevance of this Media chick," you start. "The Curse wasn't a real curse, so... she can't be all that bad, right?"  
  
"Well, there's a few ways to look at it, Jack," Sam says. "The first is... it's all coincidental. Medea cursed Oberonn, and it just so happened that the other Atlantis City Ship crashed that day. It was a bluff that turned out real."  
  
"Happy little trees kind of coincidental," you mutter.  
  
"The second is that Medea actually has magic focused around inter-dimensional travel," Sam continues. "We don't really know exactly WHO built Alfheim's Quantum Mirror, after all. It's possible she made the Mirror to begin with, and had some form of expertise in being able to manipulate dimensions. She certainly powerful enough for Oberonn to seek her wisdom and council, and get cursed over his own actions for it. If Medea was directly involved in bringing that Castle Ship to Alfheim... It's possible that her Cursing Oberonn and bringing the Castle Ship to Jontunheim was the same act."  
  
"And what's the third option?" you ask.  
  
"The third way of looking at it is that Medea learned how to traverse dimensions thanks to the crashed Castle Ship, learned about its leaking power core and the radiation inside of it, and 'Cursed' Oberonn afterwards, before making her escape," Sam shrugs. "Regardless of what she did THEN? It's the here and now that's much more impactful. She siphoned off so much of Ford's very essence that it's like he was fed on by a Wraith except worse! He loss muscle mass, bone density, several of his vital organs near total collapse... We had to put him in a Stasis pod because even Kanaya's Shaper Healing Aura couldn't undo the damage."  
  
"So... Magic Vampire?" You ask.  
  
"That'd be putting it mildly," Sam shakes her head. "We don't know why she was working with Ford, or how, or what her end goal is, but it seems to be using the same experiments Michael performed in other timelines as a basis. He's been helping us with the relevant data, but as far as we can tell, Medea should have no actual desire to follow "the Script" like Ford was compelled to do. Meaning any info we had to work off of isn't going to work."  
  
"Well, we should've figured something like that had to happen with how many leads you guys were following kept drying up," you muse.  
  
Seriously, it should have been obvious that there was some kind of teleporting shenanigans going on. Every solid lead leading to a facility that had JUST been abandoned by hours? For MONTHS?  
  
"There's also Wex's testimony to consider," Sam ventures. "He said he got missed in being caged. In fact. He said that when the cages were made, one of the metal spikes pushed him OUT of the cage instead of In. And considering that nobody chased after him when he made his escape? Medea had to have done that intentionally to lure us in, somehow."  
  
"So... you think she was using Ford for his powers?" you ask.  
  
"It's almost probable," Sam frowns. "Still... why? Why go through all that trouble?"  
  
"Why do any of the villains we have trouble with do what they do, Sam?" You ask. "I mean, hell, Anubis and English basically came out of nowhere. Shadre was.... A Thing." Sam nods in agreement there. "How many random Generals and villains back in Alternia just made themselves bad guys suddenly out of nowhere? And don't get me started on the Replicators. Who knows who else we'll run into in Pegasus that seem to just come out of nowhere."   
  
"Like what?" Sam asks.  
  
"I dunno," you muse. "Maybe we'll run into some Antagonistic Asgard next?"  
  
"Oh, god, can you imagine that though?" Sam asks, going pale.  
  
"I can and it's not pretty," you shake your head. "Let's... just hope that I'm not jinxing it to make it happen."  
  
"Oh, probably," She smiles. "But, at least we know who to blame when things go wrong if that happens."  
  
"Yeah, there's that, at least."  
  


* * *

  
  
Elsewhere in the Egbert Household, Argo Lalonde and Jade Jackson were talking.  
  
"I find it funny," and you are now Jade specifically. "That this Medea Fae happens to share a name with a Greek figure."  
  
"Really?" Argo asks, raising an eyebrow. "Who's that?"  
  
"A princess, from Greek mythology," you frown. "It's funny, actually. Her story's tied up in the Mythological boat, the Argo, too. Plus, there's the Mythological city of Corinth involved, too."  
  
"Huh," Argo frowned. "That's... kinda weird, isn't it? Three sort of connections like that?"   
  
You agree with a nod. "According to some ancient legends, the ARGO was the first boat to ever sail the seas. Athena supposedly was involved in its construction. It was the boat that Jason and the Argonauts sailed on to retrieve the Golden Fleece."  
  
"Funny that you guys rode Our Argo ship to ride a burst of lava, huh?" Argo muses.   
  
"Yeah," you agree on that one. "It's kinda weird."  
  
"So, how's it tie into Medea?" Argo asks.   
  
"Well, in Greek Legend, Medea was the daughter of the King of Colchis, and was an excellent Mage. She wasn't a witch in personality, but she knew how to get the Golden Fleece, or owned it, in some versions of the story. Jason was on a mission to retrieve the Golden Fleece so that he could take his home country back from a usurper king. Medea's father wouldn't give it to Jason and the Argonauts, and the Goddess Aphrodite decided to mind control Medea into loving Jason."  
  
"Yikes," Argo flinches, shaking their head. "That's... kinda gross."  
  
"It was. Medea ended up fighting her father, killing her own brother, and leaving her home country with Jason because she was mind controlled into it," you frown. "Considering what we know about Oberonn's own really gross and scummy behavior... I gotta worry about how things went down in Alfheim."  
  
"Yeah," Argo nods, frowning. "So... what happened after they got the Fleece?"  
  
"The Usurper King didn't follow through on his promise to return his country to Jason, and came up with a plan to Kill jason. Medea had to user her magic to help them escape from the danger, and then they came up with a plan to kill the king, tricking him with a spell of Immortality." You pause. "It worked, and Jason became King, but the Argonauts didn't approve of the act, and they didn't like Medea at all. They called her a witch who'd betray her country for a man, killed her own brother, and had taken the throne through deceit. The Argonauts managed to kick Jason and Medea out, and they fled to Corinth."  
  
"Wow," Argo stares at the ceiling for a moment, rolling their head back and groaning. "That's just Messed up!"  
  
"Oh, it gets worse," you grimace. "The King of Corinth decided he LIKED Jason, and offered HIS daughter to marry over Medea. Jason accepted, the jerk, and Medea got exiled, and what she did after that, was what permanently marked her as a Witch to Earth's mythology. Still brainwashed into loving Jason, she set fire to the wedding, killing everyone But Jason, and after that, she left Corinth." you pause, then add, "Funnily enough, a piece of the Argo, the boat, would later fall on Jason, killing him."  
  
"...I don't think I really like that story very much," Argo frowned. "Though, I do like the part about the boat killing the guy. Even the boat didn't like him."  
  
"Yeah, but honestly, the real bad guy in all of that was Aphrodite first and foremost," you say. "Brainwashing people into being in love with someone is just... Not Cool."  
  
"Definitely," Argo agreed. "Though, Jason really shouldn't have trusted that Stupid King to keep his word to begin with."

"Oh, for sure, for sure," you nod. "That's just the price you pay with dealing with Usurping Royalty. Never know where to draw the line with trust."  
  
You're both silent for a very long, yet also very short time.  
  
Then, you say, "Honestly? Backstabbing Ford like that doesn't seem so out of character for her, all of a sudden."  
  
"Considering that Excaliber was based off a sword that came from Alfheim originally, I'm not surprised," Argo shakes their head. "Let's just hope that it's all just some fancy coincidences of names and shit and NOT some sudden prophecy of the future."  
  
"Definitely," you nod. "I'd hate for us to have to drop the Aurora Class Argo onto someone. Just a waste of a perfectly good space ship, if you ask me!"  
  
_"A~greed!"_ Argo agrees.  
  


* * *

  
  
**[A few pages, torn loose from a journal, are floating free in a frozen wasteland, appearing on screen one after another as they're blown about by the wind. They read as follows.]**

  
I have but a simple dream. I who have seen the disastrous fate of other mes across the multiverse... I seek what they could not get. I seek the power to rule, and not be questioned in it.   
  
And my efforts have paid off. The Fool Oberonn has begun to pay me, Titania's personal Mage, such 'unwanted' attention. If I can get him to edge the line, bear me a child, then I will have my in with the Royal Family. I won't demand much in return. A small mayor ship, perhaps? Nothing too greedy. I won't overstep my bounds for another time.  
  
I do have my insurances, however. Should he realize what I am after too soon- should he try anything idiotic- I will Curse Alfheim and travel anew to another world.  
  
Another version of Alfheim, perhaps, where I can try again. My Mirror technology will prove to be the most important part of this-

I am quite sure it will-

  
  
**[Page is torn here, with a burn marking edging the break point. The back side of page is blank.]**   
  
**[Unknown span of missing pages. Ink color has changed from Black to Blue.]**   
  


for certain, I had been quite foolish, making the jump I did into this dimension as I did. Time had been unstable at that moment, and my arrival was not where or when I expected. And yet... it seems to have been to my benefit.  
  
My arrival was accompanied by a displaced spaceship of some kind, and while the people of the planet I had crash landed on were eager to trade it for my own safe exile off to another world, I felt... Perhaps that may have been a mistake. If such a vessel had lead to my landing in this dimension, surely it must have had to means to bring me elsewhere, much like that City in Jotunheim...  
  
Alas, what's done is done, and I doubt they will be able to cause me much more trouble in the future by doing what they're doing with it. The vessel was half damaged from its arrival, after all, and scattered across the landscape, frozen as it was.  
  
These 'Stargates' are marvelous pieces of Technology. Similar concept to the Mirror Gate I crafted for Queen Titania, yet different enough. They travel to other worlds within a dimension, rather than to others. I was sent to a world, home to a small village, and thus I learned.  
  
I arrived in this Pegasus Galaxy when a rift of energy had just been opened not too long prior- I recognized it as Magic, but others did not. It was new, foreign, and changing. A galaxy- a whole GALAXY and not just a measly continent- was ripe for change. I was not the only one who saw opportunity.  
  
I encountered a strange man at a Bar in that village. He called himself Aiden Ford, and he claimed to possess a gift. The ability to see into other dimensions. Said he was following a script, but had come to a crossroads as to whether he should truly follow through on it or not.  
  
Either he forced a man he had rescued from a grim fate to commit the atrocity of kidnapping an entire settlement, or he did it himself.  
  
It was the logistics that proved hard to manage for him. He had access to ships with storage devices, but nowhere near enough pilots. It would take months for either of them to gather the resources necessary to field such an endeavor, because, shockingly, very few of his men wanted to kidnap an entire settlement to perform MEDICAL EXPERIMENTATION ON THEM!  
  
Wow, I wished to say. Who could ever think of such a bullheaded move as morally wrong?  
  
I myself no stranger to the nature of Mind Control, offered a solution. And the fool accepted without hesitation. "It would keep pace with the script," he said.  
  
I controlled his men to perform the raid, flying their alien ships and capturing the entire settlement's population. Then, I found he was in need of a proper scientist. One familiar with Medical research. My abilities came in use there, twice over. As I volunteered more and more of my Magics, subtly working my own web of strings into his head, I began to realize what an opportunity I had before me now. Aiden Ford's power wasn't just SEEING into other dimensions, it was the raw and untamed ability to dart between them like one changes pages in a book!  
  
I will follow along for now, playing the part of the dutiful follower. When the time is Right, I will sink my Magic into his, 'augmenting' it while in reality slowly siphoning it into myself. When the time comes, I will steal Everything and take it for my own.  
  
And then, I will use those powers to take the plan of this Michael person Ford is following the steps of, and I will make atleast some stages of it as my own. I do need an Army, after all, and these Wraith do need exterminating if I am successful, and find I have nothing left to do but to take over this Galaxy as my own kingdom.

Oberonn can have his damned single continent of a kingdom if he so damn wishes. I will have SO. MUCH. MORE. Than he could ever have imagined!

Once I rebuilt the Mirror-Gate I originally designed...?

I will be able to accomplish a dream I've had for SO LONG. Soon, I will have the Ability to Turn back the Clock and Undo the Betrayals that were  
  


**[Sentence seems to have been cut off to carry on to next page, which is missing.] **

**[The backside of the above page contains a diagram for a familiar device- the Mirror Gate last seen in Oberonn's Research lab, as well as on the Land of Light And Rain, in the Denizen CETUS's care. Marked in the same blue handwriting is an innocuous remark: ** _"Will need an External Aid to achieve Power Requirements."_ **]**

**[End of loose pages.]**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: SGA:04X16: Cheap Bar Tricks
> 
> \---
> 
> So, let's talk Medea stealing Ford's powers, and the aftermath there of. Ford relied heavily on his powers upkeeping his body's physical integrity and health. Namely, preventing a LOT of the downsides of Wraith Enzyme with drawl. Medea stealing that ability? Yeah. Ford got hit with YEARS of ignoring his own physical fitness at once, not to mention years of Enzyme Withdrawl at once. 
> 
> She essentially put him into a near-death state that vaguely parallels a Certain Clone's organ deterioration in Canon Atlantis presented. For those familiar with who I'm talking about, yes, I am basically slotting Ford's current medical status into that problem slot for Season 5 when it surfaces again.
> 
> \---
> 
> Medea's story in Greek Myth involves a Boat named ARGO and a City named CORINTH. I found those coincidences funny enough to cement Medea's position in this massive multiverse. That said, I didn't just basically paraphrase a couple wiki summaries of Medea's myth for no damn good reason. There's a very real and damn good reason that I did explain all of that, and it has to do with our good friend "Alternate Dimension Parallel Selves!" 
> 
> I'll leave it at that, and let that thought and the words of Medea's journal entry do some more elaboration.
> 
> \---
> 
> Medea's journal hints at several future and past events all at the same time. While we get some insight into her motives back in Alfheim Past...
> 
> The main bulk of that important info is in a future journal entry. Namely, we find out how and when Medea met Aiden Ford, and what she's done for him... and also to him.


	35. SGA:04X16: Cheap Bar Tricks

**After Action Report: Atlantis Expedition. Incident on M5V-801.**  
  
**EARTH DATE: APRIL 23RD, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 11/03/0006.**  
  
_**[Speaking: Dr. J Keller, auto transcribed from voice recorder and formatting Applied Via VoiceReportToDesk.Org.]**_  
  
Sooo. Today was... A day? I guess. Yeah. It was a day. Sorry if the words slur a little, I just got back from having a few drinks at the cafeteria and- yeah. Okay. So. Today. Right.  
  
Doctor Mckay, Director Jolinar/Samantha Carter, and Myself went to... to... M5V-801. The planet's been suffering from tremors for quiiiite a few generations, and they get about four tremors a day. They built their settlement over some pretty unstable ground. About twenty-ish years ago? Probably closer to fifteen? Anyways, about twentyish years ago, the Genii used to run the place, and made the people work as miners.   
  
Once the Genii got what they wanted, they left, and it left the planet with a lot angry miners, and a LOT of bad polutants in the air. People suffer like mad with respiratory problems there. It's... pretty sad. Anyways. So. The three of us went there to MSV... M... M-FIVE-V Eight Zero One to convince the people there to evacuate, and to listen to their, and I quote, "list of demands a mile and a half long."  
  
Weeeeee Diiidn't Exactlyyy Make Iiiit. Heh.  
  
Yeah. Ground collapsed under Mckay, and Doctor Carter and I fell in trying to check on him. We got stuck in a room that was part of a Genii Mining facility, and, well...  
  
We made SEVERAL attempts at escaping, most of which failed because thiiiiings weeeeeeren't staaableeeeeeee. Heheh...  
  
Oh God, am I drunk? I think I might be drunk.  
  
Today was a DAY. GOD. Just. What a DAY.

Where was I?  
  
Uh.  
  
Buh buh buh.... Right. Fell into a hole.  
  
We tried opening two doors- one we could, one we couldn't. One we could open went nowhere but one BIIIIIIIG GIANT HOLE! Like, huge mine shaft huge. Bridge must've collapsed at some point. The door we couldnt open was locked with a passcode tech panellly thing. Uh...  
  
...Whatever that is actually called, I don't think it actually had any power to it? SOoOOOooo....  
  
Uh. Yeah. We tried a grappling hook to climb back up. That didn't work. And to think I almost took my CLOTHES OFF before Sam found a rope we could use! God, I almost FLASHED poor Rodney! The look he gave me was just- I... 

I actually can't remember if it was a good look or a bad look because I'm *definitely* drunk right now. Hah. I'm gonna say It was a GOOD look though, because the other thing is way too depressing to think about because. WOW.  
  
SO. UH. A COUPLE OF TIMES We tried Climbing a buncha crates and THAT didn't work so badly to the point that Director Jolinar had to start healing internal bleeding while I did my best to set Sam's LEG when it broke when she fell and-  
  
GOD. That was all my fault.  
  
We stupidly tried this cheap ass bar trick I knew and WOW. GOD. Just. WOW. MAN. We didn't even THINK about using Rodney's forcefields to... just... reinforce everything? Like. HOW DUMB IS THAT! We didn't even think of it until we were back in Atlantis driiiiinking away today's misfortunes. Like.  
  
MAN. If I could just go back in time..  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...Uh. Anyways. Yeah.  
  
Weeeee.... made an explosive rocket cannon out of a gas pipe to try and get out again and it diiiidn't work either.  
  
I ended up barely hanging onto a rope and I got knocked out of the room when a tremor hit.  
  
LUCKY BREAK THOUGH! I saw the exit! Man. if only we'd tried going DOWN instead of UP!!!  
  
Just.  
  
BLUH.  
  
Anywyaz. Wayz. ANYWAYS. We got out of there and came back to Altantis and Mckay and I went out for DRINKS.   
  
Then I came back and talk-wrote this report.  
  
So. Yeah. I'm going to bed now.  
  
GOOOOOOD NIGHT!  
  
_**[End of Recording.]**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: INTERMISSION: FLASHBACK: Afterparty and Preparations.  
\---  
"Trio" went about as seen in canon, all things considered. I couldn't figure out a way for Rodney's forceshields to actually help in that situation all that much. That's not to say they couldn't have worked, but... I couldn't figure out how to make it work on this one soooo... Basically followed the plot fairly straight forwards. 
> 
> So this is just a bit of breather before we dive into the next five episodes rounding out the act. It's one intense ride downhill from here.  
\---  
Hope you all have a good weekend! Pesterquest came out this week with Equius and Terezi! What fun! I'm expecting atleast Nepeta to surface next time! Maybe Tavros or Aradia? Sollux would be surprising.


	36. INTERMISSION: FLASHBACK: Afterparty and Preparations.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we generally sort of finally catch up to the present... except... not quite.

**EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2001.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 04/03/0005.**  
  
"In thanks and eternal gratitude for helping stop the menace of Esher, and helping to end the tyranny of the Tablet, we grant you, Colonel Joey Claire, with the honorary title of the Grower. You will always be welcome among D'ni's citizens, whenever you should desire to visit."  
  
As Yeesha finishes her speech, and all hands clap, and the Bahro cheer and whoop in celebration... The young boy that had been Waver Velvet that still resided somewhere within Lord El Melloi the Second felt nothing but relief that such a hefty burden had been lifted from the shoulders of his long time friend.   
  
As it was, the old and wizened D'ni Lord who currently stood there felt something much more wary.  
  
Gray's omen status as a child had been correct... but Yeesha had misunderstood the details, assuming that Gray herself was to be the one spoken about. Instead it had been this Alternian Woman from another Galaxy adjacent to the old Home Age that D'ni had been housed in.  
  
It was incredible, in retrospect, and yet...   
  
Yet he felt as if it were not over yet.  
  
They still had yet to decode the Letters. And it was rapidly nearing the time that the original should be Written to begin with. There was talk of a City called Atlantis, and other dimensions, home to Faeries and other humans.   
  
And with each passing remark from the Humans of Earth, this thing called the SGC, the idea of the Atlantis Expedition...  
  
The D'ni Lord felt with a growing certainty that their fate was tied to that place.  
  


* * *

  
  
Yeesha downed back a hefty portion of a bottle of alcohol as she slumped into yet another iteration of the comfy chair in Waver's office. "It's Done." She breathed out as soon as she'd swallowed.   
  
"That part of our fate is, yes," Waver agreed, nursing his own small shot glass of amber liquid. "But there is still so much more to be done."  
  
"And once again we come back to the idea of _Self Fulfilling Prophecies,_" Yeesha grouched. "Could we please not think about that again for some time? I have work to do tomorrow, and would like to not have to be so drunk as to forget this conversation as to be Hungover tomorrow."  
  
"Yes, yes," Waver nodded. "The Ambassadorial Negotiations with the DRC, and the SGC, and their allies."  
  
Things were moving ahead without even his or Yeesha's nudging of the timeline. The Guild Masters saw a familiar face in the D'ni of another dimension, and wished to ally with them through the bridge that was Stargate Command.  
  
He worked his jaw. "Yeesha. I'd just like to say..."  
  
Just say it, he thought to himself.  
  
"Yes, Waver?" She asked, glancing at him.  
  
JUST SAY IT, he ordered himself.  
  
"Congratulations on your dream becoming Reality," he said like a coward, not daring to go down the route he wanted to. He then raised his glass. "May the ending of this chapter be a bright opening for the next."  
  
Yeesha laughed, and raised her own bottle to the air, "Thank you, my Friend."  
  
Together, they drank in celebration.  
  
Neither wished to think further on the future that lay ahead of them.  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2002.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 04/04/0006. **  
  
A year later, and...  
  
_"They want to build what?"_ Yeesha stared at the blueprints for the proposed CASTLE SHIP. Her question was rhetorical, of course. He had already thoroughly outlined the reasoning and design of the UNWRITTEN in great detail.  
  
"We have been discussing this for some time, privately," Waver massaged at the bridge of his nose. "These things have already been in motion for some time. We've been planning on making the official overtures for a false plan of action to the IOA committee members for over three months ago. We need everyone at the table to be able to ensure that we can make this work, and the IOA has begun to put things in motion to make it happen, even if we're all quite certain we're going to be back stabbed over it if we don't backstab them first."  
  
"But... Why?" Yeesha asked, staring at it. "Why design something so... so... Gigantic?? Surely there have to be better options."  
  
"We've given it as much input as we can from this side," Waver said. "But the simple fact of the matter is... this option is best for them. And it gives us the room to plant a trap for the Twisted Ones."  
  
Yeesha sighed, massaging at the bridge of her own nose. "Damn it, Waver. I know that. But there has to be a better way that entrapping them in a tomb with a bio-plague and a leaking power reactor!"  
  
"If you can come up with something else by the time we convene in Corinth City in..." Waver checked his KI for the local Earth date and time, and did the math... "Two Weeks? Then yes, I will gladly put the idea forwards."  
  
"You could have given me more heads up that this was happening," Yeesha tiredly accused.   
  
"I gave you the warning with as much heads up as I could," Waver said. "We know you were being monitored by the Twisted Ones. Once we were certain they'd stopped..."  
  
"I know, I know," Yeesha groaned. "I just... Damn it, Waver! This seems entirely too excessive!"  
  
"We're evacuating two planets worth of four different races into a singular vessel," Waver reminded her. "Of COURSE it's excessive."  
  
"This had better not backfire," Yeesha warned him.  
  
"It won't," Waver smiled.   
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 8TH, 2002.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 04/17/0006. **  
  
The Odyssey hadn't even reached Corinth yet, and things were almost starting to backfire.  
  
General Jack O'neill had come to him in the Odyssey's cafeteria, and wanted to know what was going to be discussed.  
  
"We are going to negotiate the terms for Joining the Atlantis Expedition, and that is all," Waver said, stating the truth at its fullest. And honestly, everything they were about to lay down in that conference room was exactly that. The Terms of Negotiation from their end for joining Atlantis.  
  
"You Have to give me more than that," General O'neill said over his cup of coffee. "I can tell you're keeping something back from us, and I'm worried that the IOA is pulling the wool over your eyes."  
  
Waver wanted to laugh. Instead, he nursed his cup of tea, and replied, "I appreciate your concern, General." And he did. He very much did. But his concern was so very misplaced it wasn't even funny. "But I trust you can appreciate the subtleties of this situation for what it is. We will unveil the necessary details when it is time."  
  
"Alright, it was worth an ask," the General said. "Thank you for taking the time to talk to me, Lord El-Meloi the Second."  
  
"The pleasure was all mine, General O'neill," Waver said, moving to stand and make his leave with a smile, but then... He spotted Daniel Jackson.  
  
A Linguist.   
  
The head of Atlantis' Lingual Translations and that area of expertise... Of course.   
  
Of COURSE. 

That had to be the missing link on the still as of yet untranslatable letters.   
  
"Ah... Though, I may hang around for a few more minutes if that is alright." Waver sat down again, and motioned for Daniel Jackson to join them at the table.  
  
A "Hey Jack" and an "Oh hey Daniel" are exchanged. General O'neill looks so much more at ease with his friend here, asking a casual "What's up?"

All pleasure, no business. The kind of attitude that Waver wished he could employ outside of certain company.  
  
"Just came to get some late lunch," Doctor Jackson said. "Was I interrupting anything?"  
  
"No, no," General O'neill said. "We were just finishing that." He motions to the D'ni Lord in question, and states, "This is Lord Waver El Melloi the Second, D'ni Representative from Releeshan." Then, he reverses the gesturing motion, "Doctor Daniel Jackson, Atlantis' head of Ancient Translations."  
  
Ah, Ancient Translations, that was the right name for it. Of Course. _**OF COURSE. **_  
  
This was it for sure. This was his IN.  
  
"A pleasure to meet you," Waver offered his hand, and Doctor Jackson shook it.  
  
"Same," he said as the handshake breaks. "So you're one of the D'ni representatives?"  
  
Waver grunted out a Yes, because of course it comes back to this political play. "Amusingly, my predecessor who was still alive in the other universe is representing the D'ni of Aincrad." Waver makes it clear by tone of voice that there's nothing he finds amusing about it at all. "But Kayneth is not of our concerns right now."

No, Kayneth was an ally and working with them here. It were those scheming "International Oversight Agents" who needed to be dealt with, but Waver couldn't say that.  
  
"What is, then?"

What is, then? What is, what is, what is?

Waver looks Doctor Jackson in the eyes, and he asks a very important question as a lead in- "Tell me, Doctor Jackson, have you studied the D'ni language yet?"  
  
A "No" and "Dabbled" weren't the answer that Waver wished to hear, but the tidbit of the Ancient Database intrigues Waver, as does the familiar twinges of annoyance over a busy schedule. And they talk on that subject more.   
  
Waver chuckled. "Yes, I know the feel. I have to pull double duty as a Guild official as well as a Teacher. Some days it feels like each life is a dream."

Gray's work as his Assistant was invaluable on days like those. With her working to represent his position, and her only recently gained ability to link at will, it was almost like he could be in two places at once.  
  
"What Guild are you in?" Doctor Jackson asked.  
  
"Archivists, officially," Waver said. "Unofficially, I aid with the Police force and the Guild of Maintainers as a Detective when unfortunate and untimely demises occur. Similarly, I've been tapped for a subgroup that may become its own Guild someday, but for now is simply called Modern Mysteries. Much of D'ni as it was before the fall is as much of a mystery to us as it is to the Restoration Council's experts. So many of the experts who made D'ni what it was are gone, and those of us that are left are forced to pick up the slack. And so, I lend my aid in helping to figure out what may puzzle us on any given day."  
  
Waver didn't dare touch on his other side hobbies involving Yeesha, or a mysterious time traveling letter.  
  
"That's quite the resume."  
  
"Ah, it's a stressful one," Waver said. "But it helps keep me out of the stage of Politics on most days... This week has not been one of them, unfortunately."

Politics- the necessary evil in this case. Oh how he wished that things didn't come to this, but they were running out of time in more ways than three.  
  
"Gotta hate that," General O'neill said. "I'm supposed to be on my honeymoon right now. But. Politics."  
  
"Ah, congratulations on the wedding," Waver said, genuinely happy for the man, but sorry that things have come to this point now, interrupting it.  
  
"Thanks," Jack smiled, genuinely happy. "It was great."  
  
"So..." Waver looked the Doctor in the eyes. "Tell me, Doctor Jackson, what brings a man like you to a place like Atlantis?"  
  
"A lot of luck," he answered. "A bit of skill. Trying to at least build something of a relationship with one of my Daughters. I never had much of a relationship with my biological family. My parents died when I was young and I was in foster care through a lot of my life, growing up. Life didn't let me be there for my daughter's formative years, so I do what I can now."  
  
"Family is important," Waver said. "My own Father Figure did more for me than my real family did, considering the chaos of the decades of reconstruction after the relocation to Releeshan. Not that I remember much of it, being born around that time. It was through him that I found my course in life, and eventually made my way into the job I have now. You're making an effort, which is more than I can say of some people in my life."   
  
Images of a tall man with a wide grin and fire for hair flashes through Waver's mind. Would he be proud? Likely. Waver was sure that man would be proud of how he had helped the Grays raise their daughter, Artoria, with her powers and such. Would he approve of the Time Travel, though...?

...If only to help others, then yes.  
  
Waver sighed, smiling a faint smile. "If only he could see me now."  
  
"Dead?" Jackson asked hesitantly.  
  
"Unfortunately, yes," Waver nodded. "There was a large fight some years ago, some might even call it a miniature war. A bridge ended up collapsing. It was... quite an unpleasant way to go."  
  
Some Years ago being long before even Gray was born. It was a shame they'd never met. They would have gotten along well, Waver though.  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that," Jackson said.  
  
"It is what it is," Waver answered, and that was the truth of it. He had moved on from that loss, and had other problems to worry about.  
  
"War's never pleasant," O'neill said, having lived that truth for himself no doubt. "I won't press for any details about what happened-"  
  
"The only thing I'll say is that the fight started of a damned golden cup, and it didn't even turn out to be real gold in the end," Waver said. "Pointless, through and through."  
  
An artifact that Yeesha suspected Esher had enchanted to cause trouble for them all- though how he had managed such a feat was unknown, and speculation was just as pointless as the war itself had been.  
  
Pointless, yes. But hopefully, this entire endeavor wouldn't be similarly pointless.   
  
It couldn't be. Not if things were to happen in that way he hoped they would.  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 9TH, 2002.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 04/18/0006. **  
  
Waver collapsed in his chair for a moment after the initial meeting had stopped, and the Aincrad-Alfheim-D'ni Group retreated to their quarters.  
  
Honestly, Trizza's statement of Alfheim being "fucked three ways to Monday" to be quite the appropriate metaphor for that whole grand play of showmanship they had just put on. The Confidence, the straight forwards laying out of facts...  
  
They had watched the tapes of the initial Disclosure ceremony, and prepared likewise.  
  
Pacing was everything. But so was predicting the moves of the other parties. Kayneth and Reines were talking with Links-Through-Branches at the moment, covering that. Those two left shortly there after.  
  
Everyone else of his group were more composed, but Lord El Melloi the Second was just... Exhausted. He simultaneously felt like he'd carried the show while saying nothing at all. The others had their own parts to play and didn't seem so uneasy by it...  
  
Where was his Tea?  
  
Gray stepped forth, linking in with a tray of drinks- including Waver's tea.  
  
He gladly took it and sipped at it- regaining his composure even as Gray linked away with Add to deal with other things elsewhere.  
  
The first phase of things were done. The main roadblock so far was the absence of Doctor Mckay, but that had been accounted for. They hadn't thought the IOA would actually keep him away from the meeting for this long. It was such a stupid move.  
  
Despite that....  
  
"I think this has gone well," Waver sipped at his tea. "So far, we've kept them on the back foot."   
  
Asuna scoffed. "For now. Giving them this chance to process is going to give them time to plan counters."  
  
Yes, that was something to deal with. He looked to Kayneth...  
  
The conversation proceeded swiftly, and so too would the rest of the days to follow...  
  
But it would be done.  
  
The Unwritten would be approved, and Waver Velvet and his assistant Gray would have access to Atlantis.  
  
Everything that followed should be child's play compared to this farce of a political nightmare.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: SGA:04X17: Midway  
\---  
There's not a lot to talk about this chapter. It's... mostly recap of things we already generally knew? 
> 
> This chapter condenses so very many scattered plot points together, and finally weaves things together into context. 
> 
> We also revisit Waver's conversation with Jack and Daniel for Waver's perspective on things.  
\---
> 
> We're nearing the end of this act so rapidly.... I can reasonably say that the end of this story in general is close in sight. 
> 
> I've just finished writing Act 6 Act 5. Man, it's a DOOZY of a ride. Ended up with far fewer flashback moments than I anticipated, though, as the plot ended up... making it not as necessary to show all those tiny background details all that much? 
> 
> I'm sorely tempted to just launch right into it and post consecutively from here on, but... I gotta hold myself back on that. Besides, you'd all probably suffer some small amount of overload if I dived right into that unreasonable burn through. Gonna keep it the same 5 chapters a week until the end. Gotta keep to the schedule...


	37. SGA:04X17: Midway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's always that ONE "Feature" that you actively used to use for certain things that you ALWAYS forget to patch out in security updates.

A space battle over a planet with a Spacegate was happening somewhere in Pegasus. Two Wraith Hiveships were battling against each other. One was being heavily damaged, to the point of near destruction.   
  
The Darts belonging to that hive made a break for the active Spacegate, already dialed to a Planet on the far edge of the Pegasus Galaxy. Several Darts made it through- but a couple were not so fortunate as to make it to that destination.  
  
Oh, no, a few stray shots from enemy Wraith Darts AND the shock wave of the damaged Hiveship exploding struck the Stargate mere moments before those last three Darts made it through the Wormhole.  
  
All of the Security Concerns regarding the Midway Gate Stargate System had failed to check off one specific piece of Gate Wormhole Protocol against unauthorized use.  
  
The simple, undeniable fact that, given a sufficient energy discharge into a Stargate in just the right way, the Wormhole would jump from its destination gate to another, nearby Stargate.  
  
And this was exactly the case that happened for those few poor Wraith Darts.  
  
Instead of emerging out on land with the rest of their allies, they instead were jettisoned out into space by a strange, Eight Chevron Only Stargate.  
  
The sad, unfortunate fact of the matter, however... was that this particular Stargate was nowhere near a planet, or anywhere else in drive-able distance for those Darts.  
  
They had been jettisoned out into the void between Galaxies, and the Stargate they had just exited from refused to accept their attempts to dial out again once it had shut down.  
  
As it was, they would have to wait, and wait... and wait a bit longer.  
  
But finally, the Stargate activated again, and... shut down before anything came through.  
  
But then, it started dialing out of its own accord.  
  
The Darts made for the wormhole the moment it was established.  
  
Wormholes flashed by with a rapid fire pace, until suddenly they found themselves jettisoned, Dart by Dart, into the exterior walls of a Midway station between the Galaxies and the Midway Station itself.  
  
The pair of poor, unfortunate IOA Representatives who had been on their way from Pegasus were, unfortunately, crushed by the Darts exiting the Gate behind them rapid fire with no explanation at all.  
  
And even if they hadn't been crushed by those Darts emerging through the Gate in such a fashion- the resulting explosions that ruptured the hull wall vented atmosphere into the cold of space, ensuring their unfortunate demise.  
  


* * *

[ **o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg)

* * *

**EARTH DATE: MAY 12TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 11/22/0006.**  
  
The Daedalus hovered in view over the damaged Midway station. Dart Wreckage floated outside of the small station's new and unnecessary hole.  
  
Your name is Morgan Carter, and you lament the damage, as well as the loss of life involved with this situation.  
  
You speak into your voice recorder, "Damage to Pegasus Quarter Station is fairly severe. The outer hull is ruptured, and life support is definitely offline because of that fact. If the Dart wreckage smeared with charred, human remains wasn't enough to confirm death of IOA Representatives McNalty and Sampson, the exposure to space surely would have killed them." you sigh. "While the Midway bridge Gate is still operational, let it be known I'm requesting that all Midway gate operations be put on hold until we can be sure what the real cause of the accident was. Morgan Carter, out." You turned off the recorder.  
  
_[What a fucking mess,] _Jolinar lamented inside your head. _[We only just got rid of those two with what should have been a gleaming review. But no. They had to go and get killed by way of Wraith Dart Hit and Run.]_  
  
You'd laugh at that statement, but...  
  
Just where did you go Wrong on this one? The Security protocols indicated that somewhere along the line, extra mass had been introduced mid-transit and it *caught* that as the anomaly it rightly was. But unfortunately the only reason it had caught that was the original transmission data included how much mass was sent on launch, but not *where* the mass was interjected into the line.   
  
'I hope Rodney's having better luck than we are,' you lament.  
  


* * *

  
  
The Apollo emerged from Hyperspace above another Gate along the line of the Midway Bridge, and a Jumper exited the 302 bay, maneuvering down towards the gate.  
  
Your name is Rodney Mckay, and you begin the process of tapping into the Gate's Internal DHD Call Log, just like every other gate along the line up to this point.   
  
"Let's see... last used..." You find the transmission date from four days ago, when the IOA reps gated through... And in that data should be... "Oh, hello anomaly." you crack a faint grin. "About time we found you."  
  
"What is it?" John Sheppard asks from the pilot's seat next to you.  
  
"Looks like we found the Anomalous Injection Site," you report.  
  
"This Close to Pegasus?" John asks.  
  
"Makes sense the Wraith would find one of these gates out here," you say, digging into the data logs from that day and prior. "They probably parked some darts here, attempting to see who used it... Ah, yeah, there's about five attempted dial outs that were properly rejected. And..." The tablet beeps as you receive the logged error message. _"Oh. Oh no."_  
  
"What?" John asks. "What's oh no about it? What'd you find?"  
  
"We didn't account for the possibility of a Wormhole Jump," you answer, grimly. "The Stargate's DHD reported that an anomalous connection from a Pegasus Spacegate occurred about six days ago, and the Wormhole contained a massive surge of extra energy that it shouldn't have otherwise had. Radiation readings are also consistent with the destruction of a Wraith Hiveship, along with Wraith Dart Weapons Fire."  
  
"Are you saying something Blew Up next to a Spacegate, and that caused some Wraith Darts to Gate Hop to Midway?" John asks, frowning, and sounding incredulous.  
  
"That about looks to be the case, yes," you sigh, closing your eyes and massaging at the bridge of your nose. "We failed to account for that. It's an inbuilt safety feature we forgot to code out."

"Because how often does something explode next to a Spacegate causing a wormhole to jump, right?" John asks, sarcastically.

"We're just lucky the Gate didn't continue forwarding them along the line to the Quarter Station," you say, opening your eyes and reading the data over. "If that had happened, the IOA reps might have made it through intact, and we'd never know this would have happened, meaning the Quarter Station's damage would've gone undetected for atleast another two months until the next spot check, if not longer."  
  
"You can reprogram it so it doesn't do that again, right?" John asks. And WOW is he asking a LOT of questions today.   
  
"I don't know. Maybe? Probably..." You shake your head. "It doesn't matter right now. What's done is done."   
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: MAY 13TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 11/23/0006.**  
  
Your name is TEAL'C, and you take a moment to breathe as you finish Linking into Atlantis' Book Room.  
  
"Teal'c," a familiar face greets you with a strained smile.  
  
"Samantha Carter, Jolinar," you smile back, somewhat less trained. "It is good to see you again."  
  
"If only it was under better circumstances," Sam shakes her head.  
  
Soon, you're heading through the hallways, heading up to the Director's office.  
  
"The IOA sound like they're out for blood, from what Woolsey's told me," Sam begins to voice her concerns.  
  
"Indeed," you frown. "They are attempting to have the Midway Gatebridge be shutdown permanently."  
  
"Seriously?" She asks, "Even from Alternia's side?"  
  
"They are using this recent accident as a means of attempting to gain control," you relate your observations. "It is a sad, unfortunate fact that the two who died were more moderate voices among their Committee."  
  
"It's stupid and annoying and..." Sam shakes her head. "God, I don't know what to even do. I think they're going to fire us."  
  
Indeed, that is quite the concern. "With the Replicators Defeated, they would have ample reason to attempt to remove you from office."  
  
"Yeah," She sighs, shoulder sagging.   
  
"I will do my best to ensure that does not happen," you say.   
  
"Thanks, Teal'c," Sam smiles, sadly. "We appreciate it, and we love being here... But, maybe we should let it pass and I can get back to being a civilian again."  
  
You nod in acceptance of that fact. "I will take that into consideration."  
  
It doesn't take long for you to arrive at the Gym, where Ronon Dex is training against someone. Nearby, Teyla Emmagan sits, observing.  
  
Ronon takes out the poor fool- Ah, a Jaffa you recognize, Altin, who was more of a Science person than a fighter- and Teyla raises her hand when he tries to get back to his feet- "That's enough. The match is over." She glances over, and smiles. "As an aside, I believe it's time to take a break."  
  
The Jaffa groans from the floor, and gets up to his feet with Ronon's help. He pauses upon seeing you, then, with a quickly passed greeting of respect, he leaves. Ronon moves over to the towel rack and starts drying off.  
  
"How goes the training?" Sam asks.  
  
"Very well," Teyla says. "Altin has improved greatly. My only regret is that I cannot teach him as directly as I once could, given my current state."  
  
You observe her- Pregnant, and very heavily so. Likely nearing the end of term soon, if your memories of your own son's birth are anything to go by.  
  
"Still, Ronon has been a great help," Teyla smiles as the Satedan makes his way over to you. "Once again, thank you, Ronon."  
  
"Any time," he waves it off casually, pausing to observe you. "So... everything's in shakeup cause of the IOA reps dying, huh?"  
  
"The Home Offices want everyone to re-do the interviews we just had done," Sam says with a wince. "Back on Earth."  
  
"Were not the backed up data files sent through after their deaths enough?" Teyla asks.  
  
"No," you say. "They have secured the skills of a man known as James Coolidge," you explain.   
  
"Oof, Coolidge," Sam winces. "He's not the biggest fan of Aliens working with the SGC."  
  
"Sounds like someone I don't want to talk to," Ronon says.  
  
"Unfortunately, you will have to," you tell him. "And soon."  
  
Ronon eyes you, "Why's that?"  
  
"For some inexplicable reason, he has singled you out as his first interview," you inform him.  
  
"...Is it cause I'm Satedan Military or because I can make things explode with my hands?" Ronon asks.  
  
"I would assume it is a combination of both," you answer.   
  
"...Great. This should be fun," Ronon's tone of voice implies exactly the opposite.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Rodney Mckay, and you grouch and grumble as you meander down the halls towards your lab.  
  
"Oh! Hello, Rodney!" Callie Ohphee exclaims as she exits a teleporter. "I was just coming to the Lab to help with the reprogramming."  
  
"Yeah, thanks," you say. "Not sure how much reprogramming we'll have to do, though. Something's bugging me about this whole situation."  
  
"Anything you can put your nose on?" Callie asks.  
  
"Not yet," you say. "I'm mostly preoccupied- partly with the fact that Kavanagh's working Midway now, and partly with something he said to me. Can you believe he got assigned there?"  
  
"I suppose things back on Earth got too tiresome for him there, too," Callie shakes her head. "I hope he wasn't too unpleasant."  
  
"No, he was downright giddy, actually," you say. "The guy he's been dating is working up there too. They were all smiles and sunshine and sparkling cider wine. Which, knowing Kavanagh?? That's just weird to think about."  
  
"Atleast he's gotten some happiness in his life," Callie says.  
  
"Yeah, there's that, but..." you frown. "Something he said has me thinking. And I think I found something odd, but I'm not sure it is what I think it is."  
  
"What's that?" Callie asks.  
  
"Before we start rewriting code or anything, I need you to look over some of the data logs we uploaded off of the Quarter Station." You say.  
  
"Of course," Callie nods.  
  
Soon, you arrive in your lab, where Tyzias, Keiko, and Mallek are already waiting.  
  
It doesn't take long for you to boot up the data terminal and view the specific log in question.  
  
"Hrm... what exactly are we looking at here?" Callie asks.  
  
"This section of code here," you point at the relevant section of info. "Kavanagh's rather innocuous statement made me review the data. And this stuck out to me when I was reviewing it on the way back. Morgan didn't see it, I think her and Jolinar were too depressed about the accident. But... If it does what I think it does?"  
  
Callie and the others observe the code, reviewing it, and then branching off to run simulations based on it.  
  
"Tyzias, can you double check the amount of mass three Wraith Darts would add into a wormhole?" Keiko asked.  
  
"On it," Tyzias answered. A minute later, she handed off the numbers, and Keiko swore.  
  
"What is it?" Mallek asked.   
  
"The mass numbers don't match. The amount of mass that tripped the security sensors is far too low for the amount of Darts that made it through the wormhole," Keiko answers.  
  
With that statement made, you all get a shell shocked look, and Mallek turns to you to ask, "Rodney, what exactly did Kavanagh tell you that made you realize this was there?"  
  
"He said that just after the IOA reps left for Pegasus after their day's quarantine, he noticed some odd behavior from the IOA rep's cellphone connections in the data logs. He thought that maybe its Automatic WIFI connection protocols were bugged, so I thought I'd check it out in case the same thing happened when they were traveling through the Quarter station."  
  
"And you found this instead?" Tyzias asks. You nod.  
  
"It is what I think it is, right?" you ask.   
  
"It is," Callie nodded, grimly. "It's a computer virus hidden inside of the Midway Bridge Macro designed to target the Pegasus Quarter Stations' Security protocols with the exact amount of extraneous mass that was recorded as injected into the system that tripped the protocols for any Pegasus Outbound Connection, along with a code to target the Life support systems and begin venting atmosphere within the station."  
  
"The Wraith Darts wound up causing far more damage than that," Mallek says. "What exactly are we looking at here? Because, I don't like the sounds of this."  
  
"I think the Wraith Darts accidentally provided a much more tantalizing murder weapon for us to salivate over," you say. "I think the Wraith wound up killing two people slated for execution, and they were going to use the Midway Station to do it."  
  


* * *

Your name is Jolinar, and you massage at the bridge of your nose as you sit behind your desk.  
  
"Are you SURE about this, Rodney?" Sam asks for you, because, Oh Fucking Hell, you don't want to deal with this.  
  
"We ran all the data five times, countless simulations, and quadruple checked what we got as our results," Mckay answers. "It's pretty obvious someone slipped a Virus onto McNalty's phone, which hopped onto Midway's computer servers during their Quarantine Stay. Then, it hopped through the wormhole, passing down along the line until it reached the Quarter Station, where it stayed, and waited for their return trip to come through. It did its job stopping them there, ironically making a bigger mess than originally planned, and giving us any data to work with- because there ended up being a Real Mass Injection into the wormhole in the form of those Wraith Darts. Meaning, even MORE Ironically? The Wraith did us a Favor."  
  
"How's that?" Sam asks.  
  
"The Wraith Darts immediately blowing open the wall like that triggered black box protocols, which mean the computer systems were frozen and saved mid process, including the Virus," Mckay answers. "If that hadn't have happened? The Virus would have deleted itself, removing all traces of its existence and making it seem like the Security Protocols triggered for no damn good reason at all, followed by the atmosphere vent, meaning the entire code base would be called into question, we'd be spending days if not weeks trying to rewrite the code checking for errors, and it's probable that the IOA would get what they want and the whole GateBridge project would be scrapped."  
  
And it clicks for you.  
  
**"So instead of the blame falling on US, the Blame now falls on the Wraith for entering the Bridge mid transit,"** you summarize it. **"They want us to suffer consequences for this, even though it was deliberate sabotage either way we look at it. The Injection of the Wraith Darts into the transmission was beneficial towards exposing the flaw."**  
  
"Exactly. This whole thing was either one elaborate set up to take out the Gate Bridge, or it was a directed assassination attempt against the IOA reps who were leaving," Mckay agrees.  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: MAY 20TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 11/30/0006.**  
  
Your name is John Sheppard, and when the data of the accident had been handed over to the NID, nobody in Atlantis expected to hear news back as quickly as a week later.  
  
As it was, seven days after that shocking discovery, Malcolm Barrett arrived in Atlantis' Book Room, and made his way to the Director's office to report.  
  
"As far as we can tell," Barrett reported, "The whole incident was rigged by Anita Sampson's husband, who thought she was cheating on him with McNalty. Desmond Sampson then used his wife's credentials as an IOA Representative of France to gain access to critical information regarding the operational Security of the Pegasus Gate Bridge. He hired a black hat coder to create the Virus, who was the one who flipped on him, and set up the double homicide of his Wife and the man he thought she was cheating on him with."  
  
**_"Good grief,"_** Jolinar lamented.  
  
"So all of this was because a guy thought his wife was cheating on him with a co-worker?" You ask.  
  
"Essentially," Barrett nodded. "Desmond didn't even have any suspicions about his wife's work until a reporter by the name of Alya Cesare aired a speculation piece on Anita and McNalty based on them having a business meeting at a restaurant, and construed it as a date. Miss Cesare didn't even make note of the fact that Anita Sampson was married. We interviewed her over the incident, and it turned out that she thought it was just a harmless speculation piece. She said if she'd known Anita was married, she would never have aired it."  
  
You and the good NID Agent share a chuckle of disbelief at that.  
  
"Knowing Cesare from her brief visit here, I'm doubtful she would have had that much moral integrity," Sam shook her head.   
  
A pause.  
  
**"Agreed,"** Jolinar said.** "She seemed to be the kind of person to go ahead with a story regardless of the facts."**  
  
"So... All of this was because of some stupid reporter airing a story about a suspected romance which made the Husband go homicidal rage, and rig his wife and her alleged boyfriend to a rather terrifying death?" You summarize.  
  
"Essentially," Barrett nodded.   
  
"What a waste of life," you growl.  
  
"Atleast the IOA has taken all of this into consideration and is pulling back on their demands to halt the Gate Bridge program indefinitely," Barrett says.   
  
**"It will still be a while before we get the few bugs we did discover ironed out,"** Jolinar says. **"But hopefully, in the end, all of this will blow over and we can get on with our lives."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Episode: SGA:04X18: The Kindred (P1)  
\---  
SOOOOO.... This was a fun episode to concept over. It was one of those experimental episodes where I just *write* with no ending in mind until all the pieces fit together. Those are some of the craziest ones that surprise even ME when I'm writing! XD
> 
> So. I literally redesigned Midway's security protocols to PREVENT the canon Midway Episode from happening... and I completely forgot to account for wormhole jumps from other gates. >_>;;; But, it's a good thing that happened. I managed to go through, like, 3 different permutations of potential shenanigans on this episode. Wraith Attack Midway>IOA Attack Midway>IOA ATTACKED on Midway 
> 
> Before finally...
> 
> >IOA Members murdered by jealous husband- murder discovered thanks to accidental Wraith Injection into Transmission.
> 
> It's quite the episode, eh? In the end the trouble of the episode doesn't tie back to IOA politics- oh, no. It ties back to the ROMANCE LOVERS INTERMISSION!!! Alya freaking Cesare aired a danged speculation piece and it got two people killed because the Husband got MURDEROUSLY JEALOUS!
> 
> Geeeeeeeezeeeeeeee. Who woulda thought THAT plot point was going to become relevant, huh?? XD I sure didn't when I started writing the episode, but then everything just fell into place as I was writing and, well...
> 
> HERE WE ARE! XD  
\---
> 
> Thiiis episode... is about as indicative of a foreshadowing episode as the remaining arc for this Act could ever be. Assumptions, and the saying about how they make an ASS out of U and ME. :P 
> 
> Keep your wits about you, these next few episodes, folks. It's a 3 parter.


	38. SGA:04X18: The Kindred (P1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1/3. Times become trying in Pegasus when a new 'plague' starts spreading across random worlds. Meanwhile, Teyla dispatches the Replicator AR-1 to investigate a dream she had about the remaining missing Athosians.

**EARTH DATE: JUNE 5TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 12/16/0006.**  
  
Your name is Jude Harley, and you gaze at the completed device before you with no small amount of awe.  
  
So much technology, exotic or otherwise, condensed into a singular device. A Bronze-gold ring within which a cross section of grey metal bars enclose a glowing orange orb that might as well have been at home on the Sangraal. Four glowing red triangles span the gap between the cross section frame and the edge of the metal ring, and sandwiched between them are symbols. A subtle, almost flattened S curve, a pair of dots, the roman numeral "IX," and a pair of squares, one of which is just a simple activation button in case the automated protocols don't activate.  
  
You think you saw a much larger version of something like this in a SPY KIDS movie not last year- you'd chalk it up as a stolen design if not for the fact that the data for most of this comes from a Goa'uld Remote Dialing device from another Dimension.  
  
...Okay, actually, no, that probably makes the stolen design possibility even higher, but you're not going to say anything. This device is just only slightly larger than the palm of your hand- from edge to edge, you can flatten your whole hand against it and the metal ring of golden bronze just barely edges past the squsihed edges of flesh.  
  
The orb is warm to the touch.  
  
It's got all the raw, contained power of a star inside of it- and you have NO IDEA how that's possible; mainly because you didn't design the power generation system. Lord El Melloi the Second provided that part of the project personally.  
  
"So... That's it then," Ruby whispers, gazing at the device. "We finished it."  
  
"That we did," Gray stares at it, transfixed by the awe of so much power contained within it.  
  
"Yeah," you stare on. "It's done." And you still have no idea why this thing needed to be made in the first place, except that it was mentioned in some letter that supposedly was written from this year, and went back in time who knows how many years...  
  
But given what you've learned of that Letter's origins, limited as it may be, you're fairly certain it's got everything to do with that Unstable Time Loop that some other Cassie and Cameron Mitchel got caught in.  
  
Then, Gray breaks her gaze, and looks to you. "Jude, you should carry the device and the Letter with you."  
  
"...Yeah, I figured you'd say that." You adjust your glasses, and sigh. "But I was hoping you wouldn't say that."  
  
You take a sealed letter, freshly written, and place it atop the glowing orb of the NOVA REACTOR- for lack of a better name- and Captchalogue the both of them.  
  
"At least it's not dangerously radioactive," you allow. "I just hope I never have to use this thing for what we think we have to use it for."

"Yeah," Ruby nods. "Maybe it'll work as a great ice defroster? Never know when you'll get stuck on an ice ball of a planet with no way out and need a portable sun in your pocket!"

You sincerely hope it doesn't come to that.

* * *

[ **o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg)

* * *

Teyla Emmagan awoke with a start from a nightmare, and could not soothe her mind.  
  
And thus, she reviewed everything they knew from the rescued Athosians about the day they'd been captured.  
  
The Wraith Darts had come, culling through the Village without hesitation.  
  
They'd awoken in a large stone building, not home to the Wraith at all, but rather Ford and Medea and various other men and women who seemed... far, far, outside of their own minds. Blankly staring, like worker drones.  
  
Ford acted and paraded as the ring leader, but it was Medea who made everything Ford did possible from that point onwards.  
  
Where as in other timelines, Michael learned science to perform medical experiments, it seemed Ford had no patience for that, and had delegated Medea's magic towards the same end goals.  
  
The first major deviation from what Michael predicted Ford would do based on his own actions in other worlds was separating the Athosians into smaller groups, keeping them separated.   
  
The second was that Ford said to the Athosians that he'd be turning them into his soldiers, and yet Medea was going along using Kidnapped Genii soldiers for every single one of her experiments.  
  
...And the third?  
  
Michael said that there should have been mass outbreaks of a virulent, and deadly plague across random worlds- the exact cause of which would have varried depending on timeline, but... No such thing HAD been happening.  
  
"...But..." She turned to look at recent mission reports.  
  
Various worlds plagued with outbreaks of known diseases. Random planets suddenly being forcibly mutated into horrible creatures... A process that had only begun to Accelerate since Ford had been betrayed by the Alfheim Mage.  
  
This was the third deviation for sure.  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: JUNE 6TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 12/17/0006.**  
  
You are Janet Fraiser, and The Atlantis Infirmary was in full riot mode.  
  
Overnight, three allied worlds had suddenly became ill with the same dastardly sickness- the same one that Michael had predicted would surface in some form or another. Since then, several more had begun to fall ill to the same thing, bringing it to a grand total of seven afflicted-  
  
"Make that eight worlds," Sheppard announced as he entered the Infirmary, Mckay trailed after him. "We just came back from 447, they've got it, too."  
  
"The same symptoms?" Keller asked.  
  
"Starts with respiratory difficulty and proceeds rapidly to fatal organ shutdown in a fraction of the population," Mckay answers, dousing his hands in hand sanitizer.  
  
Despite the fact everyone returning from those worlds were wearing hazmat suits and went through decontamination showers before even returning to Atlantis, there were some habits that some people just needed to work through.  
  
"Do we have any idea how it's spread yet?" You ask.  
  
"Nope, it's completely random," Keller shakes her head. "Most of these planets have regular contact with a lot of worlds that aren't affected, yet a few isolated worlds are completely down with it."  
  
"How bad is this going to get?" Mckay asks.  
  
"If I had to make a projection, I'd run with Michael's parallel timeline knowledge, and say about 30% of each world's population is going to die," you say. "If those numbers bear out, without infecting more worlds, we're looking at a death toll of about 200,000. It's probably going to be much worse."  
  


* * *

  
  
"Oh, hey Telya," you are Jade Jackson, and you find Teyla in the Cafeteria, nursing at a mug of what smells like hot chocolate. "How's it going?"  
  
"I have been having nightmares," Teyla says. "The past few nights. I suspect they're possibly forcibly induced visions along a psychic link. I'm going to have Barzum monitor my thought processes tonight."  
  
"Oh, wow," you stare. "That's... Uh... _Definitely Hot Chocolate Worthy!"_  
  
"Indeed it is," Teyla nods. "How are you doing?"  
  
"Alright," you say. "I'm really worried over this plague thing, though."  
  
"It is quite concerning, given everything Michael knew of his other selves," Teyla frowns. "If only Ford were awake and healing... we might be able to figure out what is going on and stop it sooner rather than later."  
  
"Has he figured out what the plague is yet?" You ask.  
  
"He's comparing his memories to the samples collected so far," Teyla shakes her head. "No luck as of yet. Though... he did say he had a suspicion based on one of Ford's earlier acts."  
  
"What's that?" You ask.  
  
"Do you remember the Mission where John flew the Ark down to the planet?" Teyla asks. "Ford suddenly appeared that day, and took a sample of Carson's blood from him. Michael thinks that Ford may have had Medea use that blood sample to create a clone, complete with memories."  
  
"...Why would he do that?" you ask.  
  
"In the timelines where Michael did such a thing, it was for access to medical knowledge and research notes," Teyla pauses. "Such as the Hoffan drug, in several instances."  
  
"And Michael thinks...?" you swallow. "That that's what's being used?"  
  
"The mortality rate varies in his memories between twenty and fifty percent fatalities," Teyla says. "But... if it is the Hoffan Drug, then this is no Plague we're encountering, but most likely a drug introduced into the Food and Water supplies on these various worlds. In which case we should be safe on Atlantis from its effects."  
  
"Well, there's that, at least," you say, reaching out and patting her on the shoulder. "Good luck with the Barzum Mind Link thing."  
  
"Thank you," Teyla nods her head, and smiles.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are now Barzum Soleli, and you sit in a meditative pose on the floor next to Teyla's bed as you lay a psychic hand on her own mental shoulder, waiting as she falls asleep and waiting for that connection to reach out...  
  
Your powers grab on the tantalizing tangle the moment it intrudes into Teyla's mental space, and you INTERCEDE and immediately begin back tracing the connection.  
  
_FWASH!!!_  
  
You find yourself in two places at once, _*one as but an observer following along a tangle of energy across space and time*_\- the other in the form of a handy dandy Arai Beetle perched atop a tree branch, looking down from above on Teyla's bed, which had been transplanted to this forest setting. Teyla herself is 'awake' and looking around, confused.  
  
Then, there's specks of light forming and you see...  
  
You see a man, forming from those specks of light. And then he is there, as if teleported in.  
  
"Kanaan!" Teyla gets to her feet, and moves towards the man.  
  
"Teyla?" 'Kanaan' looks surprised to see Teyla pregnant, then, he grows somber. "Teyla... you must help us!"  
  
"How?" Teyla asks, pressing for information, stalling for time.  
  
_*Your secondary projection continues tracing, tracing, come on.... come on...*_  
  
"You must save us," Kanaan says.  
  
"Where are you? Where are our people?" Teyla asks.  
  
Kanaan takes off a necklace- a pendant- and offers it to Teyla. "You bought me this."  
  
"Yes," Teyla says.  
  
"Do you remember where?"  
  
_*The Stream of Data twists as you swirl through space- NNGH- stupid! Someone's trying to warp the connection- disguise their location. You can DO THIS!*_  
  
"The Village of Croya. IS that where you are?" Teyla asks.  
  
_*NO NO NO NO! They're starting to- wait- no, the connection isn't being disguised, it's being modified to- to send something??*_  
  
"Come find me," Kanaan drops the pendant into Teyla's awaiting hands.  
  
_*SNAP*_  
  
And the connection gets severed, you tumble forwards to the ground, and Teyla gasps for air, her hand outstretched just like in the dream.  
  
"...Did... Did it work?" Teyla asks.  
  
"I couldn't get a lock," you grimace. "They tried sending something through the-"  
  
Teyla opens her hand, and there, held in her grasp, is HALF of the same pendant from the 'dream,' broken into the "Yin Yang" S shaped curve.  
  
"...The link..." you stare at it. "That..."  
  
"This should NOT be here," Teyla stares at the pendant with no small amount of horror.  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: JUNE 7TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 12/18/0006.**  
  
"I think it's pretty safe to say that a certain someone broke the pendant and teleported it here," your name is John Sheppard, and you grimace. "It's got to be a trap. And Michael's intel says it probably is too."  
  
"Agreed," Sam frowns. "What do we know?"  
  
"Teyla says she bought it from some guy in a village on M2S-181, She wants to go and investigate," you say. "It's a peaceful trading settlement, and I'd be surprised if they had anything to do with this. That Said. There's a good twenty minute walk between the Gate and the Village, so a Dart could swoop in at any time and pick someone up."  
  
"What are our options?" Sam asks.  
  
"Keller says that Teyla's close to giving birth- anywhere from a week to a month now- so we're going to play it safe and send Repli-Teyla and Repli-AR-1 in our stead. Barzum's going to go with them and see if she can pick up any residual mental links," you say. "If Medea tries to kidnap them like Michael might have, then atleast we're keeping Teyla's kid out of harms way."  
  
"And Teyla's okay with sitting on the sidelines?" Sam frowns.   
  
"She's the one who came Up with this idea," you say. "Besides, it's not like we can spare the manpower right now with the plague situation."  
  
"Fair enough," Sam nods. "Jolinar and I will approve it."  
  
There's a knock, then, at the door. Michael Kenmore stands there, waiting to enter.  
  
Sam swallows, and Jolinar speaks, **"Enter. What do you have, Michael?"**  
  
Michael does so, pausing a little, and mutters a quick, "I'm never getting used to that," he shakes his head, then says. "Doctor Keller and I have figured out what the plague is."  
  
"Hoffan Drug?" You ask.  
  
Michael nods, grimly. "I'd say it's at the level of some of the most common refinement levels I've seen in my memories. 30% mortality rate, but it's extremely fast acting, like the lower, 20% fatality rate versions. In most timelines the plague would have been ongoing for weeks by this point."  
  
"So Medea's pulling the same play and making it so the Wraith die when they feed on the survivors," you frown.   
  
**"That's pretty ambitious,"** Jolinar says,** "casting so much fear into the Wraith at large, when they're already suffering from their self-enforced culling."**  
  
"No doubting that. It's something other mes did," Michael says. "They had... a Lot of Confidence in this plan, in those timelines they used it. It makes the Wraith starve themselves in fear that their next meal will be their last. But there was always the risk other Wraith would figure out what I was doing and put a stop to it. Ford would've gone along with it because it's what other mes did, but Medea? There's no telling what her real end goal is here. All the other outbreaks of normal fevers and other random mutations just seems... wild. Unplanned. Experimental."  
  
"Army of mantis men," you mutter.   
  
**"So it's possible Medea is only doing this because it was the last of Ford's plan to fire off before she went off the rails,"** Jolinar muses. **_"Or..."_ **She looks to Michael. **"Did any versions of you contact Teyla in this time frame, and attempt to steal her away with a lead on her people?"**  
  
"Yes, actually," Michael nods. "Almost every timeline I use the Hoffan Drug, at its height, I go after Teyla for her child." He then grumbles, "It's kinda creepy, really. They're way too obsessed with her and that kid."  
  
**"Keeping her on Atlantis is the right move,"** Jolinar says to you with a nod.** "We'll bait this trap of Medea's with Repli-AR-1."** A pause, then, she looks to Michael. **"Is there anything else about those timelines that you can tell us is important?"**  
  
"I'd say about seventy percent of the time after other mes kidnap Teyla, I go to move her to a specific location," Michael says. "I can give you the Gate Address, and if the other Teyla gets taken, you'll know where to go. Beyond that, if this is one of those timelines and Ford's done what I did up to this point? There might be a clone of Carson Beckett hidden away there, or worse, the man's actually been kidnapped and brought there without any cloning, somehow."  
  
"I'll send a message to Earth to check in on Carson," you say, getting to your feet. "If he's gone missing on his walk about, we need to check in on him."  
  
Jolinar nods, **"Better safe than sorry."**

* * *

  
  
Todd called not too long after you'd made the calls to Earth.  
  
Thus, you (still John Sheppard), Rodney Mckay, and Ronon Dex went to a wraith facility on an abandoned planet to meet him.  
  
Needless to say, the meeting was short, simple, and to the point.  
  
Todd wanted all the info on the Wraith-Human Retro Virus now, because if he didn't start manufacturing it and pumping it out to his allies, the Hoffan Drug's sudden resurgence in the galaxy was going to cause even more Wraith Casualties and death of utterly destroyed worlds as the Wraith starved themselves, or destroyed 'tainted' worlds that 'killed on first bite.'  
  
Given that giving him that info eventually was the plan, there was no reason not to hand it over. In exchange, he gave you a tip off that you'd later checked and confirmed with Michael's intel- a specific spatial coordinate of a Gate-less world where a "Member of the Atlantis Expedition" was rumored to be held prisoner.  
  
Needless to say, you began the plan to contact the Daedalus and get them to change route. almost immediately.  
  
That's when news came in.  
  


* * *

  
  
Hours of searching passed by... you are Barzum Soleli, and you've got NOTHING.  
  
"This whole situation is messed up, I tell you," Repli-Mckay says, chewing on a granola bar. "We should have just demanded she turn over the rest of the Athosians too when we had the chance. Maybe she would have given them to us? She seems to be happy to let the others go. I'm just saying, it's stupid we didn't chase that lead down more."  
  
...And while Repli- Teyla and Sheppard scour the village for leads... You're stuck here by the gate with Repli-Mckay to guard it. Meanwhile, Repli-Weir and Ronon are off elsewhere, chasing another of Michael's potential leads down.  
  
"I mean, honestly," Repli-Mckay continues to eat and talk at the same time. It's a miracle you can decipher what he's saying- well, it would be if you hadn't just come off several weeks of listening to the sick-born mumbling of your sister and your alternate dimension kid selves not too recently. "This is like trying to find a silver pin in a haystack full of red and blue painted, uh.... Needles. Yeah, needles. Needles in a Haystack."  
  
That's when they heard the whining keen of a Wraith Dart, sound dopplar-effect growing louder and louder.  
  
Barzum radioed- "Hey, guys. Just a heads up, we're hearing a Wraith Dart on inbound from... uh... Do you see the Dart?"  
  
The engine keen was loud enough that either of them should have seen the Dart.  
  
But they didn't. There was no Dart to be seen.  
  
"Oh Crap, it's got a-" Repli-Mckay never got to finish that sentence because neither of them saw the Dart until it suddenly de-cloaked from in front of them, seconds before it scooped them both up into storage, and cloaked again.  
  


* * *

  
  
"They Took Repli-Me and Barzum!?" your name is Rodney Mckay, and you stare in horror at the Alternate Teyla and Sheppard who had returned from that failed mission. "What? Why!? I thought they'd be after Teyla, not-"  
  
"Not the Scientist and the Psychic?" Repli-Sheppard shakes his head. "Yeah, us either. Damn it. Medea's definitely got her own game plan going on here."  
  
"Okay," Your Sheppard frowns. "This accelerates our timeline. We were planning on raiding one of these Wraith Facilities to look for a supposed prisoner. It's going to take a few hours for us to Get there, but, if we pull this off, we'll be golden." He pauses. "That said, someone needs to go tell Tyzias."  
  
"I'll do it," you sigh, hanging your head. "Might be easier if she hears it from me."  
  
As it would turn out no,**_ no it was not easier._**  
  
You wound up in the infirmary a few minutes later to get stitches for a rather painful cut that happened when Tyzias threw her coffee mug against a wall and it shattered- a small piece of it flying off and clipping the side of your head- before storming off to 'gear up' for the rescue mission.  
  
Keller was unsympathetic. "Well, you DID tell her that her Moirail had been kidnapped."  
  
"I've never seen her so angry before," you say, wincing as she stitches your head closed. "Ow. I just... I thought it'd be less severe of a reaction if she knew that the other me had gotten kidnapped too?"  
  
"It probably was," Keller eyes you. "She didn't even yell at you or anything. She just... threw her mug at the wall?"   
  
"Well, yeah, but- Ow- Okay, okay, I guess you're right. Still..." you sigh. "Damn it, this whole situation is moving far too rapidly out of our control."  
  
"Have we even heard from earth yet if Doctor Beckett is still there?" Keller changes the subject.  
  
"No," you grimace. "Apparently last anyone knew he went deep into the bogs of Scotland for some private fishing time. They sent someone out there to look for him."  
  
"Well, hopefully he'll be okay," Keller says.  
  
"Yeah," you agree.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are now Barzum Soleli, and you groan as you recover from being stunned on re-materialization.   
  
"Ah, you're up," Repli-Mckay states from nearby. "Finally."  
  
You look over at him, sitting, annoyed, on a bench.   
  
"How long were you up?" You ask.  
  
"Twenty minutes," he answers. "The Nanites woke me up as fast as they could."  
  
"Great," you say, wincing as you pick yourself up off of the floor and examine your surroundings.  
  
...You're being held in a laboratory room on a Wraith Cruiser/and/or/Hiveship. Rather, specifically, inside a holding cell within the laboratory room.  
  
And then a door opens, and tall, dark cloaked, and utterly Fae woman strides into the room, a smile quirking on her lips.  
  
You can't read her emotions at all.  
  
"Medea," Repli-Mckay gets to his feet. "What's all this about? I thought you were after Teyla!"  
  
"Well, for starters," the Fae woman starts, smirking. "Even if I Was after the Teyla Emmagan currently with child, I would not have taken the one you had on that planet. I CAN tell a Decoy when I see one, especially if it's for the second time after seeing said woman tackle a grown man to the ground."  
  
"...Well, shit," Repli-Mckay gripes.  
  
"Yeah, we should've thought about that one," you grimace. ...Wait. "Even if you WERE after Teyla?"  
  
"Ah, the Alternian Catches on Quick," Medea pulled the hood off of her face, and gazes at you with gleaming, purple-blue eyes. "Yes. You see, I had a hunch they'd send AR-1 as body guards, especially after you came to stop Ford. And regardless of whether I got a Replicator Copy of Mckay or not... I still got a Rodney Mckay."  
  
"So all of this was about Me!?" Repli-Mckay asks.  
  
"Yes, for the most part," Medea smiles at him briefly, "but truthfully, I'm much more interested in this moment on the Bonus Prize!" She returns her gaze to you. "Barzum Soleli. You are Quite the interesting little Psychic, trailing along the lines of fate I laid down to transport that necklace to Teyla like that. You almost had me, there."  
  
**_Shit._**  
  
"And now. I have You!" Media smiled, and this time, it was not a good smile, or even a forced good, or hell, even a smirk. It's degrading, that smirk. Like you're a puppet that's been snatched up. "Ford may not have remembered it cleanly, but I was able to scour his memories. I saw the Psychic Backlash you unleashed on the Wraith during the Siege. And that... Oh, my dear Alternian, that I something I find so Fascinating. Thank you for delivering yourself to me like that. You truly are such an unexpected Bonus to this whole damned endeavor."  
  
"What do you want?" Repli-Mckay asks. "From me, specifically. I'd like to know so I know how hard I have to tell you Hell No."  
  
Media smirks. "It's quite simple, really. Exterminating the Wraith, as one goal... that is something I can already manage. But you? I need your expertise in the fields of Science to design something... heh. Well. Now, you almost got me monologing." She shakes her head. "I'm not going to tell you until we arrive at our destination."  
  
And with that, she turned to leave, and exited without saying another word, instead opting to chuckle in grim amusement.  
  
"Wow... Rude much?" Repli-Mckay gripes.   
  
"We fucked up," you breathe out. "She played us. She played us by making us think we were dealing with someone playing to the Script Ford was playing by."  
  
"And after she stole Ford's powers?" Repli-Mckay shakes his head. "There's no telling how much of that information she has access to."  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: JUNE 8TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 12/19/0006.**  
  
Hours later, Medea returns, scowling. "So, you think to starve yourselves out of rebellion?"  
  
"We're not trusting any food you give us," you state, glaring at her. "You could be poisoning us, or dosing us with the Hoffan drug. Or who knows what else you could do that'd let you use our powers without our want."  
  
"We saw what you did to Ford, after all," Repli-Mckay says, glaring at her.   
  
"You both will need to keep up your strength," Medea glares down at you.   
  
"Why should you care about our well-being for, Huh?" you ask, continuing to glare. It's like a three-times glare showdown.  
  
"I care a great deal," Medea says. "I may not be foolish enough to consider us to even have a history together, but you know that I have my uses for you. You Will Eat. You Will Live. I do not wish to harm you. You must believe me on that."  
  
"Fat chance," Repli-Mckay says.  
  
"Fine, if you won't believe me," Medea moves to leave. "Maybe you'll speak to someone who you will believe."  
  
Several more minutes go by in silence, and then a man appears- and you recognize him as Kanaan- Teyla's lover.   
  
...He's decidedly less mutated looking than some of the Genii people who've been mutated, that's for sure- he's only got some pale blue veins scattered across his face- but you can tell he's been experimented on. You're not an expert, but you'd say only a BARE MINIMUM has been done to him to make him easier to control. Now was that FORD'S decision, or MEDEA'S?  
  
"Please," Kanaan Pleads. "You must eat. Or she will make you."  
  
"What could she do to make us eat, huh?" Repli-Mckay asks.  
  
"If you do not, she will order the murder of my people still held captive, one at a time," Kanaan says, grief and horror in his eyes. You can sense his emotions fairly easily. He really believes this.   
  
"...Fucking hell," you groan. "Fine. We'll do it. We'll eat something..."   
  
"Thank you," he sighs in relief.  
  
"Hey." You look him in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Kanaan. If we'd known she was going to pull that..."   
  
"It's fine," Kanaan says, frowning. "But how did you know...?"  
  
"Your name?" You smile. "Well, Teyla wishes she could be here, but... she can't exactly risk it right now."  
  
The man smiles, hope gracing his eyes. "You know Teyla?"  
  
"Yeah, she's fine, back on Atlantis," you say. "If we get out of this, we're taking you home to her. Alright? You and her and your kid."  
  
"...Teyla is Pregnant?" Kanaan asks, surprised.  
  
Hooboy.  
  
Repli-Mckay gives you a look of "Now you've done it."  
  
You send him a return glance of "Let's find out what we can from him."  
  


* * *

  
  
The Daedalus rocketed through hyperspace, marching onwards towards its destination.  
  
You are Tyzias Entykk, and you can't help but gaze out the bridge's window at the Hyperspace tunnel whirlling by in a much more calmed down anger than before.  
  
Saving Barzum would be easier with a cooler head. But Even so...  
  
It's been enough hours in the night to cause the clock to turn over both back on Earth and on Diaspora.   
  
All of this whole situation is making you so god-damned tense and irritated.  
  
Fucking... Just... Everything's in a state of disarray.  
  
Damn it all. You should have been there with Barzum, but no. You let things go through and- GRRRH.  
  
_Stop that, Tyzias._ You tell yourself._ Stop it. Stop blaming yourself. You'll get through this._  
  
The ships intercom buzzes, summoning people to the bridge.  
  
Soon, Lorne's team and the rest of AR-2 are at the bridge, and the Daedalus drops out of Hyperspace. A single planet with a single tiny moon lay before you.  
  
This is it.  
  
You move into position, and beam down into the facility, with the Daedalus set to move to hide behind the moon and wait for further contact.  
  
Keiko orders the split up, and you barely acknowledge it as you search the facility. Your mind barely is focusing on this part of the mission.  
  
It doesn't take long for you to find a room where guards are waiting- More converted Genii soldiers. How many of them did Medea and Ford take?  
  
The fight that follows is quick and stead and... surprisingly quiet despite the roar of bullets. It's a mild droning sound in the back of your head- the sound of your P-90 firing off.   
  
Then the shootings over, and you're moving to aid Lorne's team, similarly running into trouble.  
  
Daraya looks at you, concern on her face, after you blast one of those mutated Genii men straight in the face with several bullets.  
  
...Shit. Your head's really not in this one is it?  
  
**_Get your head in the GAME, Entykk!!_**  
  
You slow your breathing, and try to focus yourself...  
  
Your radio buzzes- _"Ayano, this is Daedalus, we're engaging a Wraith Cruiser and attempting to disable its-"_ Caldwell suddenly curses._ "Damn it, they jumped away before we could land a hit in on their Hyperdrive."_  
  
"Damn it!!!" You punch at a wall.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Mallek Adalov, and you and Keiko take point with Lorne while Daraya helps calm Tyzias down from another anger burst.   
  
Silently, you move to the door that had been heavily guarded, and Lorne shoots the lock off before you, Keiko, and him burst into the room, guns drawn.  
  
And then, just like you expected- a man who looked exactly like Carson Beckett stands from the bed he'd been placed on, and exclaims- "Finally! It's about bloody time! What took you so long!?"  
  
_**TO BE CONTINUED.**_  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Episode: SGA:04X19: The Rule Breaker (P2)  
\---  
Heh.  
Hehehehehehehe.
> 
> Ford *really* set them up for being able to rely on Meta Knowledge, and Medea totally played them for it. She stuck to Ford's script *JUST* enough to get them to do the things she wanted them to do, and she got exactly what she wanted out of it.
> 
> Reader Question: Who here saw Repli-Mckay and Barzum getting kidnapped being on the cards? And of those who have seen canon Atlantis, how many were expecting me to play it to script after dethroning Ford? :33  
\---  
Jude, Ruby, and Gray have completed the INTEGRAL COMPONENT needed for A6A5! This thing is going to be completely useless for the remainder of A6A4 though, seeing as it's being taken to Earth almost immediately after completion. But, it's a plot point that was needed to be shown completed! And so it was.  
\---


	39. SGA:04X19: The Rule Breaker (P2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2/3. Medea reveals her plan to Barzum and Repli-Mckay; Atlantis chases down a lead that could lead them to Medea's hideout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character Death this chapter.

**EARTH DATE: JUNE 8TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 12/19/0006.**  
  
"This is just weird," Carson Beckett said, staring down from the observation window down at himself, who, inturn, was gazing upwards with an uncertain look on his face even as a whole hazmat team scurried around him, performing tests.  
  
"I can think of weirder," your name is Rodney Mckay, and you frown. "I mean. You could have died in that Explosion, and now we'd be looking at a ghost."  
  
"...Aye," Carson replied, not tearing his eyes away. "Has he said anything?"  
  
"About what?" you ask. "Being cloned?"  
  
"Well, sure," Carson frowns. "But I was talking more about the whole experience of it."  
  
"Beyond being fed a weekly injection?" You shake your head. "Apparently Ford and Medea kept him in a fairly good condition. You should probably ask him yourself, if you're interested in knowing more, though."  
  
"Well, that's good," he says. Then, finally breaking his staring contest with his other self, he looks to you, and says, "I thought when I came back to Atlantis it wouldn't be like this. There'd be a party, flowers and cake, maybe. But... A clone of me?"  
  
"Well, we don't know for sure that it's cloning," you say. "For all we know, Medea used that blood sample in some kind of arcane summoning ritual. Parallel Universes, alternate timelines... cloning's been done so much at this point it'd be cliche!"  
  
"And we all know what General O'neill thinks about Cliches," Sheppard waltzes into the room, Keller at his side. "Fortunately, I don't think we're going to be reporting one to him, not today, at least."  
  
"Well?" You ask as you and Carson turn to face them.  
  
"We've completed the preliminary exam," Keller says. "While there's still some more fine detailing to work out... That man down there is one hundred percent Doctor Carson Beckett."  
  
"One Hundred Percent?" Carson asks. "That should be impossible if he's a clone."  
  
"He has the same Scar mentioned in your medical files from when you were sixteen!" Keller says. "I'd say he's not a clone."  
  
"So... for once it's Not the Cliched and predictable Clone?" You ask. 

"Looks like," Sheppard nods.   
  
"Oh, Lovely," Carson says. "So that just leaves us with Parallel Timelines and Alternate Universes then. That narrows it down greatly!"  
  
You hate to admit it, but he's right. Figuring out what to do with Carson's new twin just got a hell of a lot more complicated.  
  


* * *

  
  
Meanwhile, with a flash of a teal to green wormhole, our perspective jumps a Galaxy to Milky Way.  
  


* * *

  
  
There was an explosion of C-4, breaking down the secure blast door control console- causing the sealed doors onboard the Ha'tak's Panic Room to raise open.  
  
SG-1 rushed inside, P-90s drawn and ready to mow down anyone standing in their way.  
  
Of course, there was nobody else in the secured panic room save for a Ba'al clone who sat on the floor with a resigned look on his face.  
  
"Hands in the air, Ba'al," Mitchel ordered. "There's no escape this time."  
  
**"Yes, I know,"** Ba'al sighed. **"You took out my Asgard Beaming Arrays when you got here."** And so the Last of the Goa'uld System Lords raised his hands, and admitted defeat-_** "I surrender."**_

* * *

[ **o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg)

* * *

"So... that's it? We got the last Ba'al clone?" O'neill asks.   
  
"We checked the scanner five times," Jude answers. "The Ba'al we have in our prison room right now is the last Ba'al with a working transponder anywhere in the galaxy."  
  
"...Sweet!" O'neill grins. "I think it's safe to say we can... throw a party?"  
  
"I've consulted the Vibes," Cassie smiles. "I think we're in the clear for a few good celebrations."  
  
"Alright then!" O'neill claps his hands. "I love it! Let's call up the Tok'ra and set things up!"  
  


* * *

  
  
With a reverse flash of a wormhole, we return to the Pegasus Galaxy.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Carson Beckett, and you stare at yourself with no small measure of a sensation akin to an out of body experience.  
  
You're both sitting on couches in the isolation room. God, this is so perplexing and confusing.  
  
"So." he says. "Am I a clone?"  
  
"Too early to say, yet," you say. "You've got scars that I have, so, it's probable you're not from this dimension."  
  
"Oh, lovely," he says. "Kidnapped to another dimension by a wayward, angry Ford and his Magic Girlfriend. Just what I needed. What are we going to tell Mum?"  
  
"Well," you say. "The main thing first of all, is to figure out what differences there are between our two timelines."  
  
"I suppose I should start where I was kidnapped and work my way backwards, then," the other you muses.  
  
"That would probably help," you agree.   
  


* * *

  
  
"There's good news and bad news," you are now Keiko Ayano, and you're briefing Director Jolinar, John Sheppard, and Rodney Mckay, "Good News is: Alt-Carson's Timeline only superficially resembles ours in terms of the basic events, which normally would make it hard for us to pin down where he came from, except for the fact that we already heard all of these story details before."  
  
"Replicator AR-1," John guesses.  
  
"Exactly," you nod. "So, our background project idea to backtrack the rift the Replicators made originally back on Lantea for them is suddenly a lot more feasible. And even if we can't get that working, the good news is that once we make a few introductions, that Carson won't be so alone in our timeline."  
  
"I'm almost surprised that it wound up being the same timeline," Mckay says, "but honestly? That gives us a lot of room to wonder about how the Replicators found that timeline to begin with."

  
"That line of questioning actually lead us to the bad news," you say. "That Carson Beckett was kidnapped from his timeline a few *weeks* before the Replicators mind-scanned that reality's AR-1. And from what Carson remembers? Medea opened a rift in space time, dragged him threw it, and deposited a deceased clone back in his old reality. Which means Medea DOES have dimension-crossing magic at her disposal."  
  
"So whatever we do to stop her, we have to do it fast before she decides its worth it to travel to another dimension again," Jolinar frowns. "Alright. What does the Alternate Carson know about Ford and Medea's operations?"  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: JUNE 9TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 12/20/0006.**  
  
You are now Barzum Soleli, and while you're no rust blood, you can *SENSE* the Death Echoes in this world. You can feel their fear, their horror, their dying screams.  
  
Whats more, you sense a psychic echo across time and space- the dimensional walls are weak on this world.   
  
You Hear thousands of Teyla's Voice- asking, "What is this place?"  
  
Michael's voice returns, similarly in the thousands, "Just another dead world. Destroyed by the Wraith. Abandoned by the survivors. Forgotten by both. A perfect place to conduct my work."  
  
A Constant. A Fixed Point.  
  
The Wraith Cruiser lay parked in the middle of an abandoned city, and Medea's Wraith-Hybridized Genii soldiers lead you and Repli-Mckay away in separate directions once you reach a warehouse.  
  
You find yourself lead along by a controlled Kanaan, who takes you into a far away section of the warehouse where the rest of the missing Athosians are being held inside.  
  
It's of no surprise that you're quickly shoved inside and the door locked behind you.  
  
"Oh my word," A familiar man rises. "Barzum Soleli? Is that you?"  
  
"Halling!" You smile, and move to hug the man, before sharing the love with other familiar Athosians.   
  
Regardless of what happens today, you're not leaving these people behind. Teyla would kill you for it.  
  
"Please, sit," Halling says, moving you over to a nearby bench-made-of-crates. "Please, tell us what has been happening. Have you seen the others anywhere??"  
  
"We found half of the settlement not too long ago," you inform them. "They'd been held captive in cages, but we managed to track them down. Teyla's been worrying about all of you like crazy. To the point that she'd have been out here herself if she weren't nine months pregnant and about to give birth!"  
  
"Nine months?" A woman- Sumyra- exclaims. "Why, that must have been just before-" And then she glances out the cell door, at Kanaan who stands guard, peering inside, sadly. "What they did to Kanaan is even more offensive in light of that!"  
  
"Have they done that to any of the others?" you ask.  
  
"No," Halling shakes his head. "Just Kanaan. We feared that the others who were missing were... but you found them alive? Unharmed??"  
  
"Not me personally, but yeah," you nod. "There's... an Alternate Dimension version of AR-1, Teyla included, who've been helping us look for you. They helped lead the rescue. I was with them when a Dart came and took me and their Mckay."  
  
"How horrible," Sumyra says. "But if that means there are Two Teylas seeking our safe return... then we know our leader will do us right. We have hope now. More than we had before."  
  
"Indeed," Halling says. "Until today, we had held out hope that the People of Atlantis would be looking for us, and that it would not be long before you came. But it was a weak hope, growing fainter as the days passed. To hear that you were looking for us, and doubled your efforts with others from another timeline..." he smiles. "No, more the fact that you've already rescued half of us. That is more than we could have ever hoped for. Yes. I am sure of it now." he nods. "We will not stay here for much longer."  
  


* * *

  
  
You are MEDEA, and you smile.  
  
"Ow!" The alternate Mckay is brought into your lab. "Watch the shoulders! I have very stringy muscle fibers that tear very easily! And for another thing-" he stops as he spots the project you need his help on.  
  
"Welcome, Doctor Mckay," you beam at the man, and motion at the device behind you. "To the reason I went to all this trouble to capture a version of you."  
  
"it's always with the kidnapping for some project or another," The Alternate Mckay gripes, glaring at you. "Why is it Always the Kidnapping for another project!?"  
  
You can't help but laugh. "Oh! You poor, simple man. Rodney, please... I know you have it in you to do what needs to be done."  
  
"And what's that?" He asks, glaring at the ring-shaped device. "I recognize the Blueprints for that thing. It's not from this world- or even mine. It's From Alfheim. They showed us blueprints of it as a theory of sending us back to our world if we couldn't get a Quantum Mirror Lock to-"  
  
"Of course it's from Alfheim!" You laugh, cutting him off. **_"I DESIGNED IT MYSELF!"_**  
  
"..." He stares at you, jaw going slack."So that's how Oberonn got his hands on that thing."  
  
"Yes, yes," you roll your eyes. "And from what I gleaned from Ford's memories, he made quite a mess with it, bargaining with a Demon King from this worldline all because he knocked on the wrong door. Do you know what happened to that foolish King? Ford's memories tell me an Alternian went through the rift that this device of mine made, and Beheaded him in his own bed and took the throne!"   
  
You don't know what happened after that, because Ford ceased paying attention, but, OH, was it so DELICIOUS to hear the news.  
  
"So that's what all of this is about," the Alternate Mckay summarizes. "You want my help Building a Mirror Gate!"  
  
"Of course," you smile. "See? You're not dumb after all, Rodney Mckay. It's that kind of quick thinking that I Desperately need your help with."  
  
"Why?" he asks, glaring at the ring before shifting his gaze at you. "You clearly made it work before. Oberonn made it work before. Why need my help?"  
  
"You see, those early designs of mine were flawed," you say. "They could only link to ONE dimension At A Time. Which, they were never meant to do." You tsk. "Oh, no, the Quantum Mirror could handle that functionality just fine. But... it was a very limited medium. I need to make this Mirror Gate connect to EVERY dimension AT. ONCE."  
  
"...I really don't think that's such a good idea," the Alternate Mcaky says. "Like. REALLY. I don't think that's a good idea what-so-ever."  
  
"Perhaps," you say. "But it's the only option I HAVE at my disposal. You see... I need to rewrite history. Every History. At once."  
  
"Why!?" he demands, looking at you with horror on his face. "What could you POSSIBLY want to do that for?"  
  
"You see, I've seen my alternate selves," you say. "I've seen the torment, and the Betrayals, and every accusation thrown their way. And it's a Thing. That Happens. Again. And Again. And my Understanding of that fate has been amplified upon absorbing Ford's ability to see other worlds. I can see EVERY Medea. I can see EVERY single one of her who has been betrayed, and Mind Controlled, and forced to become a Witch, and become a Murderess!"  
  
And you stomp your feet on the ground, the world trembles.  
  
"And I will rewrite every version of my own personal history at once. Every alternate Me at ONCE will find herself ontop. Immune to Mind Control. Able to Take out those who betrayed her! Those who used her as TOOLS!" You yell, sweeping your arm at that Mirror Gate. _**"I WILL REWRITE MY OWN FATE ACROSS EVERY WORLD! THIS IS MY WISH! MY HOLY GRAIL!"** _You step up as close to Mckay as you can, grabbing him by his jacket's collar, and pulling him so close to you that your nose brushes against his. "And you are going to help me do this, Rodney Mckay."

* * *

  
  
You are Barzum Soleli once again, and you look up as Repli-Mckay is returned to the group holding cell. He looks pale and frightened.  
  
"Hey!" You get up to greet him. "What happened?"  
  
"She wants me to build a Mirror Gate that can connect to every dimension at once so she can rewrite the personal history of every alternate her at once," Mckay summarizes. "We are Fucked."  
  
...Oh.   
  
**_Oh Mother Fucking Goddamn Bullshit._**  
  
You could sing a SONG about how much fucking bullshit this is.  
  
"She wants to pull a Damara," you realize. "Except of ridding a few universes of Lord English... she wants to change her own destiny in every alternate timeline."  
  
This...  
  
This is not good at all.  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: JUNE 10TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 12/21/0006.**  
  
"Alright," your name is John Sheppard, and you gaze at a village tavern with no small sense of unease. "This is the tavern Alt-Ronon and Weir pegged as one of Ford's old frequent haunts before Medea back stabbed him. We go in, ask some questions, and we find answers."  
  
Your other selves are back on Atlantis reuniting with their Carson still, so it's just you, Your Ronon, Mckay, and Keller, incase things get ugly and medical attention's needed.  
  
You four enter the Tavern, and immediately, all conversation falls silent. Every patron of the tavern turns their gaze towards you.  
  
"Just in time for happy hour," you mutter under your breath, approaching the barkeep. Louder, you say, "Hi. I was hoping maybe you could help us. We're looking for information about a friend of ours who used to stop in now and then?"  
  
"You've come to the wrong place," The Barkeep warns.  
  
"I haven't even told you why we're looking for info yet," you say.  
  
"You misunderstand me," the Barkeep says. "Nobody here cares what he looks like, or what he did. You're in the wrong place if you're looking for information."  
  
"Look," you lower your voice, and lean over the bar. "I know you're trying to keep up appearances here, but our friend got Backs tabbed and he's in a coma. If we hadn't gotten to him on time he'd be dead right now. We just want the bitch who did it to him."  
  
The Barkeep doesn't seem to buy it. "I think it would be best if you turn around and be on your way."  
  
And then Ronon spots something you don't- because he yells, _**"GUN!"**_  
  
You all scatter for cover, and a P-90's bark of fire pierces through where you were, slaying the Barkeep.  
  
"That's a P-90!" You yell.  
  
You and Ronon begin firing back- meanwhile Rodney casts a force shield to keep him and Keller safe from bouncing bullets.  
  
It doesn't take too much longer in that exchange of fire for the shooter up on the second floor balcony to have to change clips, and you and Ronon nail him, and he tumbles off of the balcony railing into a table below.  
  
Mckay drops the shield, and Keller checks on the man.  
  
"Is he dead?" Ronon asks.  
  
"Not yet, but we need to get him back to Atlantis ASAP," Keller says.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Samantha Carter, and you watch as AR-1 returns with a man on a stretcher.  
  
"What the hell happened out there?" You ask.  
  
Sheppard holds up a P-90, and says, "This guy had one of the guns we left in the emergency caches on the Alpha Site. I think Ford or Medea left him as a trap for anyone that came asking too many questions."  
  
"Let's hope he survives surgery so we can ASK those questions," you say.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Barzum Soleli, and you're dragged before Medea as she lounges on a large, soft chair in a private bedroom in the warehouse.  
  
Her normal robes have been ditched for something far more sleep-wear-worthy. What, is she going to try flirting with you or something??   
  
"First of all," you start, a little grossed out. "I don't think you're my type. And second of all, I think you're WAY too old for me, lady."  
  
Medea scowls. "Would it kill you to play nice and listen without being aggressive first?"  
  
"Sorry, no!" you say. "I've had enough of sitting still, playing nice, and listening without aggression from my Twin Sister! So I'll be as rude and grumpy as I WANT, thank you very much!"  
  
Medea scowls, and shifts from her lounging position to something more business like. it has the drastically different side-effect of exposing far more of her chest than you'd ever want to see. "This outfit is for _Mckay,_ for your information. He's still refusing to co-operate, so I plan on... _Enticing him_. What I want from you is something far different."   
  
"And what might that be, pray tell??" You ask, drawing on way more of Baizil than you usually do. Sister, please give you strength here!!   
  
"I need your extraordinary Psychic skills to reach across space time once the Mirror Gate is active," Medea explains. "Your powers will reach across time and space, and find every me there is, and will serve as the conduit for my own spell of mind-bending magecraft."  
  
"So you're going to brainwash your otherselves to... what? Keep them from being brainwashed?" You ask, a little appaled by that casual declaration.  
  
"It's not Brain Washing," Medea scowls. "No. What I plan on doing is errecting *Walls* around their brains at a young, very young age. That way no gods, or psychics, or technofools will be able to brainwash them."  
  
"...That's it?" You ask. "That's your grand plan!? You want me to build bridges through a space-time connection to let you prevent other yous from being brainwashed!?"  
  
"It's but one part of the plan, but yes," Medea says. "A vast majority of my other selves will lead vastly different lives just from that one change. And for those who wouldn't, I will intervene and do something else, which is not of your concern. Yet."  
  
"You do realize that that kind of psychic strain would fry my brain, right?" You ask, not at all rhetorically. "If I do this for you I'm going to **FRY MY BRAINS OUT.**" You point your index fingers at their respective ears. "There'll be**_ PURPLE BLOOD_** pooling from my ears!! You **KNOW THAT.** _**RIGHT!?**_"  
  
"What does it matter?" Medea asks. "Once I begun the process on the me of this timeline, events will reset, and this entire endeavor will have never happened."  
  
_**“THAT’S NOT HOW TIME TRAVEL WORKS IN THIS UNIVERSE!”** _you yell.  
  
“Says who?” Medea asks. “An accomplished Sorceress with countless years of magical knowledge under her belt, or a spry, lanky clown from another galaxy who came to Atlantis to get away from her own family?”  
  
“This ‘spry lanky clown’ happens to know so many people that have been involved with Time Travel that my Moirail has a shirt that says “i Went to the Summoner’s Revolt and all I got was a Lousy Coffee Mug!” on it!!!” You counter her dismissive remark.  
  
Medea scowls, and dismisses you, unwilling to listen at all to what you have to say.  
  
Kanaan once more escorts you back to your cell.  
  
“Kanaan,” you try, “you gotta help us escape.”  
  
“I cannot,” he grimaces. “She’s done something to me. I can’t resist her orders.”  
  
“You have to fight it,” you say.  
  
“I’ve tried,” he says. “It’s... gotten easier. Lately her control’s... slipping. But it’s still too much for me. I can’t do it. Not yet.”  
  
Those last two words are what you wanted to hear, though. Not Yet.  
  
“Well, let’s hope it’s SOON, then,” you say.  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: JUNE 11TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 12/22/0006.**  
  
Your name is Jenifer Keller, and the man who shot at you is waking up.  
  
He says his name is Nabel, but honestly, you just want to ring HIS bell for all of that reckless gun play earlier.  
  
“I see you decided to save my life,” he mutters.  
  
Coldly, you reply, “It wasn’t an easy decision.”  
  
Beside you, Sheppard says, “The only reason we did is because we need information.”  
  
“About Ford?” Nabel scoffs. “You’re wasting your efforts. You should have left me to die.”  
  
“And why’s that?” You ask.  
  
“Because once Ford finds out I was captured, I’m as good as dead,” Nabel says.  
  
“Funny thing about that,” Sheppard says. “See... We Have Ford. Medea backstabbed him and left him to die. We need to know where she is.”  
  
“...Medea...” Nabel scowls. “I should’ve pushed Ford harder to not trust her. The Witch mind controlled most of our group into performing that raid on the Athosians.” He sighs. “But there’s still nowhere in this Galaxy I can hide that she will not find me.”  
  
“Now, who said anything about **_This_** Galaxy?” Sheppard asks.  
  


* * *

  
  
**"How'd it go?"** Director Jolinar asks as you- John Sheppard- enter her office.  
  
"Nabel gave up two Gate Addresses where Medea's been conducting her work, a Primary Lab, and a Secondary she'd retreat to if the first was compromised," you report. "Best part is that she kept the two addresses separate from most workers, so even if she believes someone flipped on the first-"  
  
**"The second one should still be secure and she'll go there,"** Jolinar nods. **"Though... How did Nabel learn of-?"**  
  
"He worked it out of a Drunken Teammate," you answer, shaking your head, leaving out the part about how said teammate had been so drunk he'd tripped over his own shoes and went tumbling down a steep set of stone stairs to his doom.  
  
**"See what the Alternate Beckett knows about the facilities, if he was ever there."**  
  
"That was the plan," you say.  
  
It doesn't take too much longer for AR-1 and AR-2, plus interested parties, to get situated in the Conference room.  
  
"It's one of Ford's Bigger facilities," Beckett draws out a map. "The lab is located in the center of the main building, but it's difficult to find. Medea rebuilt the whole place into a maze. Not to mention the fact that it'll be heavily guarded if Medea is there."  
  
"I definitely recognize the descriptions of both facilities," Michael says. "If the layout isn't too badly changed, I can get us to where we need to go... And, if Medea hasn't deviated too much from Ford following in my other selves footsteps up to this point, the rest of the Athosians should be there."  
  
"We do this by the book then," Jolinar says. "Two teams, one goes to rescue the Athosians, the other to take out Medea. Let's discuss possibilities and locations..."  
  
And thus, the next few hours were taken up with planning.  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: JUNE 12TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 12/23/0006.**  
  
In the early hours of the morning, well before the mission is to start...  
  
Your name is Tyzias Entykk, and you fidgit with a mechanical pen- clicking it open and closed- out of stress while you stand on a balcony overlooking the red-orange painted ocean.  
  
The sun is rising on the day here on New Lantea, and you're nervous about how it's all going to play out.  
  
A door opens, and you don't even pay it any attention.  
  
"Tyzias?" Teyla asks, meandering over to you."How are you doing?"  
  
"Badly," you answer. "Barzum's never really been the one to go through and do dangerous stuff, so... I'm just... I'm scared for her." You take a shaky breath, and exhale it. "I pulled her out of a burning carnival after Baizil got..." you shake your head. "It hurt her so much she was basically... you saw how she was when you came to Atlantis. That was after years of recovery."  
  
"I remember," Teyla nods. "There were some weeks I'd forget that she was even here, as rarely as we saw her."  
  
"This was one of the first times that she's gone through the gate that wasn't to the Alpha site or back to Alternia," you close your eyes, and try to keep yourself calm. Calm will help, anger and fear will not. "I... I just hope she's not regretting it."  
  
"...Do you..." Teyla hesitates. "I fear I blame myself, for this. For allowing her to go chasing my own lead in such a way. For misjudging that trap for what it was."  
  
"Don't," you shake your head. "It's... Teyla, none of us could have seen Medea going after THEM and not the other you. If any of this had gone more to how Michael's seen it in other timelines, you'd be in their clutches right now instead and- And who knows how bad THAT could turn out."   
  
You take another breath- much less shaky- and exhale with purpose.  
  
"We'll get this done," you declare. "We'll bring all of them home. I promise you that much, Teyla. We'll bring them home."  
  


* * *

  
  
The teal hued wormhole stretched across the vast distances between planets- connecting, strengthening, warping around space like a demented crazy straw.  
  
The wormhole came soaring in towards a planet, and terminated in a forest outside of the ruined city.  
  
AR-1 and AR-2 arrived without incident.   
  
Sheppard gave the handsignals for securing the perimeter- he, Ronon, Keiko, and Daraya began doing just that, meanwhile, Tyzias, Mallek, Mckay, and Michael did their own recon.  
  
Tyzias and Mallek checked the DHD, meanwhile Michael and Mckay checked their scanners.   
  
"No life signs in the immediate perimeter," Mckay reported.  
  
"DHD's secure," Tyzias reports.  
  
"Let's move for the warehouse," Sheppard ordered, and the team moved.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Warehouse with a bunch of life signs," your name is Rodney Mckay, and you gaze at the lifesigns detector with a small frown. "Like, a lot of life signs. Too close together to differentiate right now, but I'd say atleast twenty to forty in a large room. And a few scattered elsewhere."  
  
"Probably the Athosians," Ronon says.  
  
"Or more of those mutated Genii," Daraya mutters.  
  
"There's also a huge spike in Zillyum Readiation in there, too," you say. "Whatever Medea's doing, it involves a Rift."  
  
"We'll split up," Sheppard orders. "AR-2, go for the life signs, AR-1, we're hunting Medea and shutting down whatever her project is."  
  
"Right," you nod. "Shouldn't be too hard," you hand over your detector to Keiko. "Looks like the bulk of them are in the western half of the building."  
  
"Got it," She nods.  
  
The teams break for their respective goals.   
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Barzum Soleli, and you perk up to attention as you hear the familiar sounds of gun fire and FEEL all the familiar mental connections that come from your Moirail and her Matesprit's team being present.  
  
"That's them!" you grin, running for the warehouse cell door. "HEY! GUYS! WE'RE DOWN HERE!"  
  
"IN HERE!" Halling calls out, joining you at the door. "You must help Us!"  
  
It doesn't take long for AR-2 in their heroic mode glory to arrive and break open the cell door.  
  
And thus, the Athosians are free.  
  
"Let's get moving, to the Gate!" Keiko orders. "Quickly, Now! Everyone! Let's get moving!"  
  
While people begin funneling out of the cage and out into the hallways, you and Tyzias share a very tight, and very reassuring hug.  
  
You've missed your Moirail far more than you'd let on, and you're sure she's missed you too, going by the surge of relief coming off of her.  
  


* * *

  
  
Medea scowled as she stormed into the laboratory where Repli-Mckay was stalling on his work modifying Medea's Mirror-Gate.   
  
"Pack everything up and take Mcaky to the ship!" She orders. "We're leaving!"  
  
"Wait- what?" Repli-Mckay cried out in shock as the Mirror-Gate he was working on suddenly vanished with a burst of space-time warping magic- no doubt teleported to the Cruiser they'd come on.  
  
That's when AR-1 bursts into the room.  
  
A gunfight ensues.  
  
"NO!" Medea yells, grabbing Repli-Mckay and dragging him by hand towards the nearest exit.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Oh No you Don't!" Your name is Michael Kenmore, and you break off from the firefight between the Mutated Genii and AR-1, and you dodge between bursts of fire to chase after her and Repli-Mckay.  
  
This stolen and mutilated Plot Arc of your other selves is going to END. Right here, and Right now1  
  
You follow them up a staircase, and you draw your sidearm- shooting down two intercepting Guards who moved to assist Medea in dragging Repli-Mckay out of the building.  
  
_"MEDEA!"_ you yell. _"LET HIM GO RIGHT NOW!"_  
  
The Alternian Witch roars in frustration, gathering a spell in her hand and throwing it in your direction.   
  
You dodge behind a wall- and watch as the blast hits the floor and corrodes it like acid- No- like its chemical bonds have been severed somehow. There's a small burst of rainbow light as the floor dissolves away.  
  
Shit. That's not good at all.  
  
Damn it, you just wanted a VACATION TIMELINE where you didn't have to deal with any of this shit.  
  
You lean around the corner and fire off more shots at Medea- she blocks them with her stupid Spirograph shield spells.   
  
"I have no idea who you are, boy! But you're messing with the Wrong Witch!" Medea yells at you from across the hallway.  
  
"SHE'S TRYING TO CREATE A RIFT TO EVERY DIMENSION AT ONCE!" Repli-Mckay yells over her, at exactly the same time.  
  
You're not sure what stings more. That she called you a BOY or the fact that she wants to combine dimensions together? You think? Honestly, that's your first base reaction to Repli-Mckay's words and you honestly feel like it's probably the closest to the truth.  
  
"Look! I don't care about your plans, lady!" You call out. "I just want the Scientist!"  
  
"Well fat chance! You're not getting him! _HE IS MINE!"_  
  
"What? No I'm not!" Repli-Mckay protests.  
  
_**"YES YOU ARE!!!!" **_Medea yells in his face.  
  
You use the distraction to try to rush her- you see her hand flash dangerously in some kind of reaching-backwards motion and move to dodge the expected Spell Blast.  
  
Let's see if her spell shield can stop a point blank shot!!  
  
You shove into the lady- knocking her away from Repli-Mckay, and jab the gun up under her ribs and---  
  
_**BANG!!!**_  
  
_**SHLICK!!**_  
  
\---Pain bursts from your chest as the witch jams some kind of ceremonial knife into you- and the shot of your gun's recoil sends her stumbling and tumbling to the ground.  
  
"Oh My God!" Repli-Mckay cries out. "She _STABBED YOU!"_  
  
You gaze down at the weird blade sticking out of your chest- bizarrely, it has some kind of magic aura around where it's entering your body and there's no blood so why the hell does it Hurt So Fucking Much!?  
  
The knife's blade is some kind of rainbow hued Z shaped thing with some kind of- wait, that's the Alfheim Script isn't it? Yes, there's a line of FAE RUNES etched into the lowest part of the blade near the hilt.  
  
Medea laughs as she picks herself off of the floor.  
  
There's a small red mark on her skin from where the bullet tore a hole open on her clothes, but... otherwise she's alive???  
  
How the fuck did she-  
  
"And now you find out why I'm called Rule Breaker," Medea snapped her fingers- and the Knife buried within your chest ROARS TO---  
  


* * *

  
Michael's screams cut through the air over the sound of everything else going on on that planet.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Ronon Dex, and you END the firefight by blasting a gas canister, startling the mutated Genii out of position to be shot down.  
  
Your team rushes after the way Michael went, and you find the man... not exactly looking like a man anymore.  
  
Infact, it looks like he's been completely turned back to that beaten, battered state that he was in when Ford sent him to Atlantis to begin with.  
  
"Mike! What happened?" Sheppard kneels to check on the Wraith-Turned-Man-Turned-Wraith again.  
  
"She-" Michael wheezes out. "She has some knife- Rule Breaker- It- It--- it breaks things."  
  
"Medea undid the Retro-Virus with a Knife!?" Mckay asks, astonished.  
  
"Where's the other Mckay?" Sheppard asks.  
  
"Took... took him to..." Michael wheezes. "The ship. It... She...Teleported. As soon as I was ... was down..."  
  
"Don't worry about that now," Sheppard says. "We'll get you out of here and-"  
  
"NO!" Michael growls. "It's too late! I... I can't feel... anything below my neck. It's... Spreading..." He looked like a man on his death bed. "The Warehouse.. The second... It's..." he stumbles over his words. "Exp... Trapped... It's... rigged to... It's..."  
  
And then he grows silent, eyes staring blankly up at nothing.  
  
Out of respect, Sheppard closes Michael's eyes.  
  
Your radios buzz- _"Guys?"_ Keiko reports. _"A Wraith Cruiser just took off for high atmo. What do we do?"_  
  
Sheppard reaches for his Radio, and replies. "Call Atlantis. Tell Keller we need a stretcher and a body bag. Michael's dead."  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Argo Lalonde... and somehow...   
  
Teyla Emmagan reunites with the rest of her people in the Gate room.  
  
It's a joyous moment, ruined only by Keller's medical team carrying the bag-encased Michael on a stretcher through the Gate to be examined to find cause of death.  
  
...You find your way down to John as his team exits the gate, and it shuts down. You give him a hug.  
  
...None of this feels like a victory yet.  
  
It doesn't take long for everyone to meet in the conference room.   
  
"Medea has some kind of knife that apparently functions exactly like her title," John explains. "'Rule Breaker.' It... it undid everything we did to save Michael's life, somehow. It turned him back into a wraith, and it put back every wound that should've been healed."  
  
"She stills has the Replicator Me," Mckay says. "And if what Barzum's told us is right? She's going to her backup site to complete a Mirror Gate that'll connect to every dimension at once so she can rewrite history."  
  
"We've got to go to the second site and lay an ambush for her," John says. "As soon as possible."  
  
**"Take a few hours to rest,"** Jolinar orders. **"By our estimates we'll have atleast ten hours before her Cruiser will arrive at that planet via Hyperspace. We'll have the Daedalus en-route to help end this. Once and for all."**  
  


* * *

  
  
"It's like every cell in his body spontaneously began decaying," your name is Jeniffer Keller, and you stare at the end result of what almost certainly was the same thing that was done to poor Ford.   
  
The test results for Michael Kenmore's autopsy did not paint a pretty picture for anyone hit by whatever this magic was.  
  
"Rapid Onset Necrosis," One of the two Carson Becketts agreed. "Damned painful way to go."   
  
"Oh, for sure," the other agreed. "But it was the reversion of his earlier wounds that did him in. There was time to _Get_ Ford _Here_ and put him in stasis, after all."  
  
"I've got Minori checking Alfheim records for anything even remotely similar to this," Janet Fraiser says. "if there's a recorded case in their history of a way to prevent this, we have to find it."  
  
"Maybe if we're lucky," you hope, "We can find a way to save Ford from this."  
  


* * *

  
  
The teal hued wormhole stretched across the vast distances between planets- connecting, strengthening, and traveling without much deviation towards its destination.  
  
Sometimes, despite every deviation and roadblock in the path...   
  
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.  
  
AR-1 and Major Lorne's team arrived on a planet- M2S-445- that was just as factory and warehouse ridden- and just as abandoned- as the last planet, save for its red hued sky.   
  
Nobody could tell if it was the time of day, just how the sky colored due to its atmosphere, or what...  
  
But the sun hung above it all like a watching, all seeing, all hating, all scathing and scorning eye.   
  


* * *

Your name is John Sheppard, and you feel like you're repeating history, and not in a fun way.  
  
Like Barzum described of the last planet- and you could sort of feel- it's stronger here.   
  
The sensation of repeating history. A fixed point.  
  
But this warehouse... it feels almost like you stepped foot back in the UNENDING again. Memories of another life bubble over.   
  
You and Ronon split one way with half of Lorne's team, while Lorne and Mckay go another way.  
  
This is supposed to just be a scouting mission. Secure it for the ambush you're going to perform.  
  
And yet something nags at you. It's not going to be that easy.  
  
You pass by an open, abandoned room, and your brain flickers between memories- seeing a vastly different room inside. Some twisted version of a maternity ward.   
  
You blink, and it's gone.  
  
You radio, "Rodney? Got anything?"  
  
_"Yeah,"_ Rodney answers. _"Another half-built Mirror-Gate, along with a lot of empty receptacles that could hold jars full of compressed Zillyum."_  
  
"Compressed Zillyum?" You ask. "Didn't Callie say that's a serious health hazard?"  
  
_"Yeah."_ Mckay says._ "I found a data terminal-_ Wraith, naturally- _that lists most of the specs. Gimme a moment to see how much raw Zillyum she's working with here..."_  
  
Wait.  
  
Another memory surfaces- the building collapsing around you--  
  
Michael's last words. _Booby trapped_.   
  
_"Hahah! I've hit the jackpot! I've got Gate Addresses, I've got subspace communication codes! I've even got Medea's research into the Wraith Retrovirus!"_ Mckay's triumph is quickly squashed, because:  
  
"The Building's Rigged to explode!!" you yell. "GET OUT NOW!"  
  
But your warning comes too late.  
  
Your watch beeps over to a new day-  
  
There's a muffled boom from below you, and everything begins to shake.  
  
-And you and Ronon are running for your lives.  
  
But you pass by a broken mirror, and you gaze into a dozen different realities at once.  
  
There's no getting out of this.  
  


* * *

  
  
A small explosion bursts out from the ground level basement windows of the building, and the entire warehouse collapses into the resulting pit as Friday the Thirteenth dawns back on Earth.  
  
**_TO BE CONTINUED._**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final Chapter of the Act: SGA:04X20: Friday (P3)  
\---  
Soooo... Yeah. Michael's dead. And why YES, a Knife like that COULD very well make Repli-Mckay cease to exist. 
> 
> Scary thought, eh?
> 
> IDK if Michael counts as a "major" character death here, but that's the only one I had available to add via the flagging system.  
\---  
Medea's plan is an insanely worse version of Damara's plan. Instead of being a narrow focused laser scalpel of a surgical strike, Medea is just going to smash a massive stained glass window with a big fucking hammer and hope everything pieces itself together afterwards.  
\---  
The Athosians are all safe now save for Kanaan! W00T!  
\---  
Atlantis Fans may notice that I *completely* cut out a whole episode worth of plot here, and dragged the ending of the *next* episode in line over to replace the "Freezing Cloneson Beckett" Scene from the canon episode of the Kindred, Part 2. Which... this episode originally was. LOL.
> 
> Reason why?
> 
> *12. Day. Time. Skip.*
> 
> -_-; And also, an unnecessary divergent trip into the future via time travel. But mainly. 12. Day. Time. Skip. 
> 
> So WHY YES. YES this DOES MEAN that the next episode is *actually* the Season 5 opener that I've now re-purposed as the Season 4 Finale! :D 
> 
> Man, what a crazy idea, huh?? Yeah, I thought it was crazy too, but it works. The main reason being that I was debating HOW to adapt this whole thing because A6A5/Continuum canonically takes place *AFTER* "S501:Search and Rescue"! So. Yeah. One of my options was to do the extra time travel episode and place tomorrow's episode at the start of A6A5, and then have a HUGE GAP of the WHOLE ACT until we got to A6A6 to complete season 5, and... UGH. Nope. That just didn't feel right.
> 
> Doing it this way, on the bright side, I didn't have to spawn *TWO* doomed timelines in short order! I think that's a bit TOO excessive of a time travel dump in too much of a short order. You guys are going to have enough of that with Continuum and I don't need to double down on it.


	40. SGA:04X20: Friday (P3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3/3. Conclusion. A search and rescue party is dispatched in the aftermath of a building collapse.

Your name is John Sheppard, and you feel as if you're forgetting something.  
  
You're standing in the infirmary of Atlantis, smiling happily at Jade as she holds your infant child in arm. Not a few beds over is Teyla, holding her son in arm.  
  
Argo keeps bouncing between the two of them seeing if anything is needed.  
  
You feel like you're forgetting something.  
  
"John," Jade smiles. "What do you think of the name 'Casey'?"  
  
"John," Teyla looks hesitant. "I was considering naming him after Michael, given that we could not save him."  
  
Something about that statement feels hard to swallow.  
  
You turn around, and gaze at a bed that shouldn't be filled.  
  
Resting on it, sitting up against a pile of rusted and collapsed debris, is Michael, wraith-ified and all battered and bruised.  
  
"You Failed, Sheppard," He growls. "You failed to save us."  
  
"You Failed, Sheppard!!" Aiden yells from the stasis pod that shouldn't be in the infirmary. "YOU FAILED TO SAVE US, SHEPPARD!"  
  
"You failed-" And there- exiting a body bag, is a battered, beaten, Rodney Mckay whose skin on his face was half-melted away to reveal a metal skull with a gleaming red eye. "You Failed to Stop her, Sheppard!!"  
  
AND then you feel a sharp pain in your side- you look down and see a rock climbing pinion that Keiko carries around jabbed into your side- but the hands holding it aren't Keiko's.  
  
No.  
  
You follow those arms, up to the shoulders, and then the face.  
  
Wearing Argo's clothes is Medea, and she's grinning with Murderous Intent as she exclaims-  
  
_**"RULE BREAKER!!"**_  
  
And then you WAKE UP.  
  


* * *

**EARTH DATE: JUNE 13TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 12/24/0006.**  
  
John Sheppard gasps for air- the noise startling you out of the mild meditative stance you'd put yourself in.

"Woah, hey!" You are Ronon Dex, and you try to get your friend to stop moving. "John! Don't move! You're stuck under some pretty heavy debris."

He groans- "R-Ronon? What happened?"

"The building colapsed on us," you tell him. "You've got some debris piled onto you. I didn't want to try moving it without knowing where you were hurt."  
  
"How long was I out?" He asks, glancing around. It's tight quarters- you yourself can barely get around.   
  
"Not long," you say, checking your watch. "Building collapsed about... ten minutes ago? I was meditating for five..."  
  
"Meditating?" John glances at you, a pained look in his eyes. "Really?"  
  
"Hey, Teal'c offered to teach me some advanced techniques back with the whole Midway thing," you say. "I figured it was a better use of time while waiting for you to wake up."  
  
"...Fair enough," John grimaces. "I've got a sharp pain in my right side. I think something's jabbed in."  
  
You gaze around for the wound and... Ah, yep. "Found it. Doesn't look too deep. I'll pull it out and cauterize it."  
  
"Cauterize it with what?" Sheppard asks.  
  
"My Powers, Dummy," you roll your eyes, grab hold of the piece of metal, and say, "On three."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"One-" you yank the piece of metal out and then immediately press your hand to the wound. John screams from the motion.  
  
You generate a low charge of energy and discharge it into the raw flesh.  
  
_**PCHSHUU!**_  
  
Smoke and red light flashes from the wound and John screams a bit more.   
  
_**"GAH!** WHAT HAPPENED TO THREE!?"_ He asks once he's calmed down.   
  
"You're welcome," you chuckle, and toss the piece of bloodied metal aside.  
  
"Where're the others?" John asks.  
  
"Dunno, we got separated, and the Radio wasn't working," you answer.  
  


* * *

  
  
The camera darts out of that section of the ruins, and zips across the remains of the collapsed warehouse to another area- much closer to the surface.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are now Rodney Mckay, and you cheer in triumph as you manage to get your tablet re-connected to the Wraith Storage Device you managed to salvage before the explosion.  
  
The remaining beams of sunlight from the sun above pierce through the rubble onto your shoulders, like some kind of metaphor.  
  
"We are BACK IN BUSINESS!" You grin.   
  
"Really?" Major Lorne asks, groaning with pain from where you helped lay him against some relatively flat and stable rubble. Poor guy broke both his right leg and his left arm. He's not going anywhere anytime soon.  
  
"Yes, really," you say. "I noticed before the explosion that this drive triggered a Subspace transmitter. Likely so Ford or Medea could recover the device in the event of the building self destructing. Anyways, if I can repurpose that transmitter, I can signal the Daedalus when it arrives and they can beam us out."  
  
"That's if Medea doesn't find us first," Lorne grunts out. "You said that thing signaled her, right?"  
  
"Well, basically, yes," you say.   
  
"How do we know she's not going to abandon it and go somewhere else?" Lorne asks.   
  
"She can't risk that we got our hands on her plans for her Inter-dimensional History Revision party," you say, simple as day. "And besides that, I'm pretty sure she didn't have most of her research on Wraith Genetics and Retro Viruses on hand with her when she was taking Repli-Me for a spin. She'll want that back."  
  
"Fair enough," Lorne grunts. "Still... three hours before the Daedalus gets here. Who knows if Medea'll push the trip faster to get here before then,"  
  
"Ah, good point." You frown. "Well, you posted Edison outside the building, right? As long as he didn't get hit by debris then he'll get to Atlantis and dial out and call for backup."  
  
"So rescue a little sooner than three hours, then?" Lorne asks.  
  
"Hopefully," you nod.  
  
God, what a mess this has all been.  
  
Oh. Hello!  
  
"Oh, more good news!" you grin. "I found something interesting in Medea's Wiki- her backup backup facilities!"  
  
"And that means...?" Lorne asks.  
  
"If we can get out of here in one piece, we've got her on the Ropes!" You grin. "There's nowhere in this Galaxy she can hide that we won't know about!"  
  


* * *

  
  
The camera pans out of the ruins of the warehouse, and zips out of the orbit of the planet with its singular, large moon- out through the rest of the system- past nebulas and then into Hyperspace- where the camera finally catches up with a Wraith Cruiser rocketing towards its destination.  
  
Sitting firmly in the commander's chair, Medea scowls as she sees the blinking light on the alarm console.  
  
It had to be a coincidence. Had to be sheer coincidence that both of her facilities would be compromised on the SAME DAY.  
  
That had to be it.  
  
She was sure of it.

* * *

[ **o< --- STARGATE: ATLANTIS --- >o** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb0Irf4ibHg)

* * *

Your name is Argo Lalonde, and you look up from your paperwork as the Gate Alarms sound off as an "Unscheduled Offworld Activation" comes through the gate.  
  
You and Sam Carter head to the Control room.  
  
"Lieutenant Edison's IDC!" Banks reports, lowering the shield.  
  
You and Carter move down to the gate room as Lieutenant Edison limps through the gate. He's bleeding in places, covered in an unhealthy amount of dust, and looks shell-shocked.  
  
"Edison! What happened? Where's your team?" Carter asks.  
  
Through gasping breaths, Edison explains that there was an explosion- everyone inside the building was caught inside when the building collapsed.  
  
Survivors was unknown- radios were out- and as Carter has medics take Edison to the infirmary, you swallow your fear and turn to tell Carter that you're Going Out There with the Rescue Party.  
  
She nods in agreement.  
  
Daedalus is two hours out still. And nobody can wait that long.  
  
Combat Engineers are ordered to gear up, and Keller gets her away team ready.  
  
Within half an hour, everyone is ready, and you're through the Gate in a trio of Jumpers, and flying towards the collapsed building.  
  
Soon, you've landed, and the search teams are moving towards the areas with life signs- four dots, which means of the six people who went into the building, two didn't make it.  
  
You pray that John isn't one of them.  
  
It doesn't take long before you hear shouting- "Here!" you direct the combat team to the spot. "Over here!"  
  
"Mckay? Is that you?" Carter calls down.  
  
"Yes! Thank god, yes! It's me!" Mckay shouts back. "I'm trapped down here with Lorne!"  
  
"Are you okay?" You call down.  
  
"I'm fine but Lorne's beaten up pretty badly. Broken leg and arm!" Mckay answers.  
  
"Stay put, we'll get you out of here just as soon as we can!" Carter assures him.  
  
"Make It Fast" Mckay says. "A subspace transmitter went off when the building collapsed. Medea's probably pushing her hyper drive faster to get here than she was before."  
  
A short while later...  
  
"It doesn't look like they're too far down," Lt. Vega reports. "We should be able to get them out inside of an hour."  
  
"What about the other two?" Keller asked.  
  
"They're a lot deeper," Vega answers. "We might not have the time."  
  
"I'll buy it then," you say, and flare your wings. "I'll put a time dilation bubble over us and give us the time to dig everyone out."  
  
"Argo, are you sure about that?" Carter asks. "It's been a long time since you've used your powers that heavily."  
  
"A few hours is NOTHING compared to two years, Sam," you remind her. "I can Do This."  
  


* * *

  
  
An indecipherable amount of time later...  
  
Your name is Rodney Mckay, and you wave Keller's attention off with a "Lorne has it worse than me!" before moving to sit down and dig through the data you've got on Medea's Mirror Gate project.   
  
You spare a glance at Argo, though- spreading their wings wide, holding their hands up to the sky, and just... Glowing.  
  
A brilliant orange-red glow flows out of their wings and hands upwards like a reverse waterfall, forming a large point of light above you that domes downwards.  
  
A Time Dilation Field.  
  
Before you can get back to work, Sam Carter sits down next to you.  
  
"Any survivors?" you ask.  
  
"Two other life signs, but they're further down than you were so it's taking longer. Thankfully, Argo's bought us the time we need," Carter says with a nod.  
  
"Good," you say. "Any idea who they are?"  
  
"Not yet," She shakes her head. "Not for sure, anyways. But we did find one of Lorne's men in the debris. Dead."  
  
"Damn," you swear, glancing at the man, pained as he is, getting his arm and leg tended to by Keller and Minori. "Edison made it to the gate?"  
  
"Yeah," Carter nods. "But he was pretty shaken up. Carson's got him right now. But... I've seen that look in his eyes before. I think he's planning on retiring."  
  
"Worst case for Lorne is he lost half his team to the explosion, and all of it to the aftermath," you grimace. "Not how things should have gone, really."  
  
"Yeah," Carter sighs. "Damn it. All of this has been one major cluster fuck of a scenario."  
  
"Tell me about it," you gaze up at the temporarily frozen stars. "...When did it get to be night?"  
  
"Huh?" Carter asks.  
  
"I'm sure the sun was Mid-Day when the building collapsed," you say.  
  
"I think this planet just has a short day-night cycle," Carter answers. "From Atlantis' Database, the Ancients were already observing the Planet's rotation speeding up in their day, so... it seems like this planet was probably abandoned because the days kept getting shorter and shorter, rather than the Wraith culling it to extinction."  
  
"Weird, that," you shake your head, and peruse the Mirror Gate Data. "But it might be part of why Medea chose this planet, besides Ford forcing it trying to stay 'on script' or whatever." You tab through the data. "Yeah, here, something about the Rotational Speed seems to be what Medea was after. She was probably going to bring the Mirror-Gate and Repli-Me here anyways regardless of us raiding the facility."  
  
"Why not just build it here, then?" Carter asks.  
  
"Looks like..." you find a note. "Looks Like Medea thought that there was a good chance that if her early connection attempts failed, they'd fail catastrophically, and make a tear in space time. Energy level predictions look similar to what happened with the Corinth City rift when Damara performed her little stunt last year. Apparently she thinks the planet's rotational speed would help solve that problem."  
  
Sam considers it, but Jolinar is the one who speaks, **"But Barzum's intel says she wants to connect to every dimension at once. Re-creating what Damara did would be a pretty efficient way of doing that."**  
  
"Except she doesn't KNOW that's what would happen," you say. "Look, the only reason WE know that Damara's rift connected to every single dimension she wanted to connect to was because we had people on the Inside Observing It. From the outside reality just sort of hiccuped, and time no longer held any meaning inside or just immediately outside the rift. A whole day almost passed inside while hours passed outside, and MINUTES only passed to the rest of the Universe."  
Irony, considering you're sitting inside a bubble of accelerated time.  
  
**"It's a good thing that she kidnapped Replicator you rather than you-you, then,"** Jolinar states.** "If Medea found out about this then she wouldn't hesitate to have set it off already."**  
  
"I'm not sure how that's a good thing or not, but it'll have to do," you say.   
  


* * *

  
  
It doesn't take too much longer from the outside perspective for Ronon Dex and John Sheppard to be dug out of the debris and ferried through Stargate back to Atlantis along with the wounded Lorne and a slightly exhausted, but very relieved Argo Lalonde.  
  
Meanwhile, you are now Keiko Ayano, and you gaze out into space from one of the Cloaked Jumpers as your team plus Rodney Mckay and Barzum (Why is Barzum here? Tyzias shrugged when you'd asked, and said something about 'seeing it through') sit and wait for Medea's hiveship to arrive.  
  
"How long til the Daedalus arrives?" Daraya asks.  
  
"Not too much longer," you check your watch. "Medea might beat them here, though."  
  
And then as if on cue, a hyperspace window opens, and a Wraith Cruiser drops out.  
  
"They're scanning the planet," Tyzias reports, glancing up at the Cruiser. "They'll probably send Darts to check the wreckage soon."  
  
"Moving to intercept the Dart bay then," you bring your Jumper in as close as you can to the Dart Bay doors and... "There's the Darts, right on Cue," you smirk as the doors open, and the Darts fly out.  
  
You bring the Jumper into the bay, and try to find an empty place to land the Jumper.  
  
"Everyone clear on the plan?" You ask.  
  
"Split up, trash the Hyperdrive, trash Medea's Gate, and rescue Repli-Me?" Mckay asks.  
  
"Eyup," you nod as you bring the Jumper down to land.  
  
"And Rescue Kanaan," Barzum voices. "Teyla will be sad if we don't save him."  
  
"If you can find him and free him from whatever Medea did without leaving the Jumper? Go for it," you say. "Otherwise, we're going to have to play it safe. And someone needs to guard the Jumper."  
  
"Yeah," Tyzias nods. "Just... stay here until you find Kanaan's location, alright?"  
  
Barzum nods at that, and with that, your team infiltrates the Wraith Cruiser.  
  


* * *

"There's something wrong about this," Medea stared at the scan results that were coming back. A destroyed building with no signs of death within it?   
  
It was almost too good to be true.   
  
Something wasn't right.   
  
She could almost taste the sourness on her tongue.  
  
Something wasn't right, and it was infuriating. Buildings with self-destructs don't just fire off for no good reason.  
  
Could it have been a rat? Or a mouse? What of a cat?  
  
_Something wasn't right._  
  


* * *

  
You are Mallek Adalov, and you and Keiko find the Hyperdrive chamber to be barely guarded. Two technicians and a lone guard. All of them were humans, dressed in simple farmers clothing, and looking like they'd been turned into... Not Wraith, no, not like the Genii men from before, but they had MANTIS TRAITS to their faces.  
  
Their skin was hued green and their jaws looked oddly mandible locked. Mantis Men. What the hell was Medea's obsession with this particular mutation anyways?  
  
You suppose that answers one lingering question about where the army of Mantis Men on that one world came from definitively.  
  
With a nod, you both fire off Wraith stunners at the men, taking them down in rapid fire.   
  
Keiko ensures she Zats them each for good measure once they're down.  
  
You begin the work of planting the C-4.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Tyizas Entykk, and you, Rodney, and Daraya sneak through the hallways, heading towards where one of the largest sections of cargo space on the cruiser would be.  
  
"Once we get there, we need to sabotage the databases to corrupt and push a backup of that corrupt data," Mckay whispers. "If she escapes again, we can't let Medea keep any research of this project. Destroying it will force her to start over from scratch."  
  
"Got it," you nod.  
  


* * *

  
  
The Daedalus exited hyperspace suddenly- it was a TRAP!- and began opening railgun fire.  
  
**_"JUMP TO HYPERSPACE!"_** Medea ordered.  
  
Her crew didn't voice concerns about the Darts or the men on the ground- not even Kanaan whose thoughts were clearly opposed to it.  
  
The Cruiser turned tail to run- the hyperspace window opening--  
  


* * *

  
  
_"Oh No You Don't!"_ Keiko whispered as she flicked the red switch on a remote detonator.  
  
Then, she and Mallek ducked for cover behind a bulkhead door as the hyperdrive generator exploded- and a wall of flames rushed past them.  
  


* * *

  
  
The Hyperspace window shattered into a burst of green particles as the Wraith Cruiser passed through it- the sublight engines flickered from the sudden surge in power, and the Cruiser drifted badly- just exposing enough of its rear to the Daedalus so that the ensuing low powered Hyperbeam Strikes could spear into the engine emitters and break them completely.  
  


* * *

  
  
Medea swore against a Fae Goddess as power fluctuated across the bridge.   
  
"The Hyperdrive just exploded!" A technician reported.  
  
"How!?" Medea swore again by another Fae god. "An overload??"  
  
"Uncertain! It just detonated suddenly!" the technician replied.  
  
"How did they do that!?" Medea scowled. "...How did they--? Get... Onboard..."  
  
Her eyes widened.  
  
"Kanaan!" She ordered- "Fetch Doctor Mckay and bring him to the Dart Bay! We're taking their ship and leaving!"  
  
The lone Athosian on the bridge nodded, and left without coercion.  
  
Medea ran for the Dart Bay- she had a pesky little gnat of a cloaked ship to find.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Target their weapons next," Caldwell ordered. "Let's keep them pinned and crippled until we hear back from Ar-2."  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Rodney Mckay and-  
  
"Oh Thank God!" Repli-Mckay exclaimed as you, Tyzias, and Daraya entered the Cargo-Storage-Room-turned-Lab he'd been stuck in. "I never thought I'd be so glad to see my own face!" He's bound to a work station with a long, leg mounted chain.  
  
"What work have you done to make that Mirror Gate functional?" You ask, pointing at the thing, while Daraya starts working to break the chain open. Tyzias, meanwhile, goes to start hacking the data backups.  
  
"Just enough to keep me alive and not get stabbed with that freaky knife of hers," Repli-Mckay answers. "I saw what it did to- to- It was horrible! I didn't want to go through that!"  
  
"Done!" Daraya says, freeing him from the lock.  
  
"And if we're lucky we won't wind up with that happening, ever again, to anybody," you say, patting your duplicate on the shoulder. "Now let's sabbotage this Mirror Gate and get out of here."  
  


* * *

  
  
You're once again Keiko Ayano, and you nearly feel your heart jump out of your ribcage when you run into Barzum and- surprise surprise- an unconscious Athosian Man in the hallways.  
  
"Barzum!" You hiss. "What're you doing out here??"  
  
"Medea was coming for the jumper," Barzum whispers in turn. "And Kanaan was going for Repli-Mckay while fighting the mental compulsions and I had to help break him from it."  
  
"You-" You massage at the bridge of your nose.   
  
"What do you mean Medea was coming for the Jumper?" Mallek asks.  
  
"Kanaan's memories showed she realized we brought our own ship!" Barzum answers.  
  
"Shit," you run the options in your head. Radio Caldwell? No, too risky. Your radio chatter could be detected. But... You've got not choice. You take the risk you'll go unnoticed, and go for your radio. "Colonel Caldwell! This is Keiko. You need to be wary of the Dart Bay doors opening without reason. We have reason to believe that Medea may be attempting to steal our Jumper and take it for herself- cloaked if she can manage it. I'd suggest blasting the Stargate from orbit now to cut off any chances of escape."  
  
_"Understood,"_ Caldwell reports. You hear an order of _"Target the Stargate and make sure it's burred or destroyed."_ A pause of confirmation, then Caldwell asks, _"I take it you'll be taking a Dart off the ship?"_  
  
You grimace, and Mallek nods. "Yeah," you reply. "We'll probably have to. We'll land in the 302 bay."  
  
Then, after a confirmation, you change channels and radio, "Tyzias, you catch all that?"  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Tyzias Entykk, and you reply into your radio as you hover at the door to the lab and everyone else leaves. "Yeah, we got that. Meeting you at the Dart Bay."  
  
It doesn't take long for your group to reconvene with the rest oF AR-2 at a hallway door near where you parked the Jumper.  
  
"Barzum!" You stared in surprise as you saw your Moirail. "I thought you were-!"  
  
"Staying with the ship until I could rescue Kanaan? Yes, I did," Barzum smiles, motioning at the unconscious man leaning on the wall nearby. "And Medea was after our ship. So. I had to leave anyways."  
  
"Fair enough," Daraya says. "So, Keiko, what's the plan?"  
  
Keiko glances around, then looks to Barzum, before smiling. "I've got something that should work out pretty well."  
  


* * *

  
  
It didn't take too much effort for Medea to find the Puddle Jumper, cloaked as it was.   
  
She laughed, slipped inside, and with a gentle touch of her knife RULE BREAKER's magic to the control console, disabled the ATA Gene Security Lockout, activating the Jumper without much effort.  
  
She maintained the cloak, and prepared for take off.

But then _PARANOIA_ had her check her surroundings. Nothing, nothing, nothing- wait- _There!!_  
  
_She saw two of the stupid heroes who had intervened with her plans hiding behind a doorway. What were they waiting for? And why were they peering around like they were waiting for something?_  
  
The Jumper Pinged, trying to deactivate the cloak via remote control command.  
  
She told it no, realizing that had to be what it was for. Those two had a remote control.   
  
The Jumper Pinged again. She denied it again. Yes. There was a remote in the one's hand- she was pressing it   
  
Another Ping, and another denial.  
  
They moved-_ a Cu Sidhe girl and some Cait Syth girl- identical twins for all that Medea could tell._  
  
Hmm... they were moving for a Dart, and she couldn't let them take one of HER ships, could she? And the Jumper had Weapons, didn't it?  
  
Yes, yes it did.  
  
Medea decloaked the Jumper and opened fire on the two sneaky heroes.  
  
The ensuing explosion of the railing and catwalk, tumbling into the void below, was oddly satisfying.  
  
And then the Dart those two had been running for suddenly flew out of its bay, opening fire on her stolen ship's delicate front facing windshield.  
  


* * *

  
  
"And that's what you get for jacking our Ride!" Your name is Keiko Ayano, and you open fire on the stupid Jumper with the Dart's onboard weapons.   
  
The Jumper's armor tanks the first few blasts- but Medea's too shocked from the onslaught to do anything else but dive for the back of the Jumper as you blow holes in the front of the ship.  
  
The damaged Jumper tilts in the air, and falls down into the abyss of the Dart Bay below, just like the railing she blew up thinking it was you and a non existent Silica.   
  
You fire off a few more trailing shots after the Jumper---  
  
But they miss, and the damned thing vanishes entirely in a burst of purple-pink magical distortion and teleportation magic.  
  
Well, shit. She probably survived, but at least she's not going to be flying that Jumper any time soon.  
  
You move the dart over to the real area where everyone was hiding- on the other side of the Dart bay- and engage the matter transport beam.  
  
AR-2 plus rescued prisoners get out of cover, and are beamed into storage.  
  
That done, you turn towards the hangar bay doors and tell the Dart to adjust its communication frequencies to the 302's secure channel.  
  
"Colonel," you radio even as you open the Dart bay doors and move to exit. "This is Keiko, the Jumper is Disabled and we could not confirm a kill on Medea, but we're exiting the Cruiser now."  
  
You zip away from the Cruiser, heading towards the Daedalus.   
  
"Mind the explosion, and please make whatever survives go away," you advise, and click another C-4 detonator that Tyzias had given you.  
  


* * *

  
  
The blocks of C-4 left behind in the exposed parts of the fragile, inner workings of the Mirror Gate detonate- shattering all sorts of previous materials as well as a few sealed containers of compressed Zillyum within its more secured areas.  
  
A massive burst of blue light ruptured out the back of the Wraith Cruiser- causing several secondary, more normal colored explosions to burst forth from its framework.  
  
But, the Cruiser wasn't dead yet, having survived that initial burst of death and destruction.  
  
Thus, with an echo of Keiko's Request, Caldwell demands, "Make that Cruiser Go Away."  
  
The Daedalus powered on its Hyperbeam weapons to full charge, and fired off a devastating salvo of several beams of blue light into the Cruiser.  
  
It exploded into nothingness shortly there after.  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: JUNE 19TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 12/30/0006.**  
  
"Well, given the sudden drop off of new plague cases, and the equally sudden drop off of several unmanned Wraith Cruisers and Hiveships on deserted planets," your name is Argo Lalonde, and you smile sadly as you help Director Jolinar/Samantha Carter pack up their desk. "I think it's pretty safe to say Medea is either critically wounded or dead, and Todd's doing his due diligence and actively converting Wraith into humans with the Retro Virus."  
  
"The only real question remains is if Todd will follow through and convert his people into Humans after," Sam shakes her head. "But... it doesn't matter to me anymore."  
  
"Shame the IOA tied such good news with the bad," you agree with a grim nod.  
  
"On the one hand, SG-1 caught the final Ba'al clone, and O'neill wants everyone from SG-1 to attend," Sam says. "On the other, the IOA thinks that because Pegasus is now on a decline of threats, they can 'replace' me with a 'civilian' as if they conveniently forget I retired from the Air Force's Military."  
  
"Yeah," you shake your head. "Still! Come and visit us after it's all over!" You smile. "Teyla and Jade are both due somewhere in the next two weeks!"  
  
"I'll leave the Congratulations Basket in my quarters for you to give to them," Sam says. "I get the feeling the IOA's not going to want me anywhere near Atlantis for a very long time."  
  
"Shame, that," you say. "You were managing this place just about as well as Mikari did, most days."  
  
"It's the days I didn't the IOA get you on," Sam grimaces. "Still. Jolinar and I are heading back to Earth and going back to our normal lives again." She offers you a hand to shake, which you do.   
  
Jolinar speaks, **"I speak for both of us when I say, It's been an honor to serve with you like this, Argo."**  
  
"The same to you both," you say, smiling. "Good luck with everything back in Milky Way."  
  
**"Thanks,"** they nod.  
  
Sam replies, "I get the feeling we're going to need it."  
  
Less than an hour later, Sam's gotten her things packed up from her room, and is standing at the base of the stairs as the Stargate dias Earth Directly. Nearby, Daniel Jackson says goodbye to Jade, and then moves to join Sam.  
  
Chevron Eight locks, **_WAA WAA KAWOOOSH!_**  
  
With a nod to you from her, Samantha Carter and Jolinar step to the gate and pass through its shining, shimmering surface. A moment later, Daniel Jackson follows after them.  
  


* * *

  
  
The shimmering wormhole trails out- teal in hue- spiraling away into the endless expanse of space, out of Pegasus, and into the void, before a flash of light as it passes Midway makes the wormhole transition its hue to a more firm lime green tone.  
  
The wormhole presses onwards, onwards, onwards, spiraling onwards as it zips past pieces of the Gate Bridge and then dives into the arm of Milky Way where Earth Resides.  
  
The wormhole passes by Pluto, then Jupiter and Mars, and then finally comes down upon Earth- driving home towards Colorado, Colorado Springs, Chyenne Mountain...  
  
Were this a Myst Game, no doubt the famous sound of linking would be heard as the wormhole faded to black as the view cuts through the mountain.  
  
But no, silently, save a 'schlorp' did Samantha Carter exit the Stargate into the SGC ramp.  
  
"Doctor Carter," Richard Woolsey greeted her, sounding a little hesitant. "Miss Jolinar. Doctor Jackson."  
  
"Mister Woolsey," Sam nodded.   
  
"Hi, Woolsey. Bye, Woolsey," Daniel says, and promptly absconds, getting the impression this wasn't a conversation meant for him.  
  
"Welcome back to Earth," Woolsey says, looking nervous.  
  
"A face like that," Sam winces. "Bad news for me returning to Pegasus, huh?"  
  
"I pushed hard to keep you in position," Woolsey shakes his head. "Unfortunately I was overruled, and worse, 'punished for my insolence,' As General O'neill phrased it."  
  
"Oh god," Sam pales. "What happened?"  
  
"The exact words the Russian IOA Rep said to me were, 'If you think she did such a great Job in Pegasus, why don't you do it yourself?'" Woolsey answers, looking frighteningly pale. "I've been told to make my way to Pegasus Monday morning as your Replacement."  
  
"Oh, god," Sam places a hand to her mouth. "What does this mean for your job in the IOA?"  
  
"Effective immediately I'm no longer the US Representative, but still a member of the IOA," Woolsey shakes his head. "They've effectively demoted me to keep me from fighting them as well as I could."  
  


* * *

  
  
Meanwhile, back in Pegasus, Medea stomped through the snow back into the wrecked remains of that crashed Puddle Jumper.  
  
She trudged up to the sealed inner door, pried it open, and slipped back into the rear chamber that miraculously was undamaged enough to keep the weather out.  
  
She slumped to the floor, laying out the large deer she'd hunted for food on the floor, and began preparing it for her meal.  
  
A snarl manifested on her lips as she dug Rule Breaker into the Deer's guts.   
  
"When I find the Stargate on this world... I will make you all Pay Dearly for this, Atlantians," she growled, even as her next cut sent a splurt of blood across her face.  
And then she hacked and coughed, because a part of it managed to get into her mouth.  
  
**"DAMN IT ALL! _DAMN IT ALL! DAAAAAAAAMN IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT AAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!!"_** She roared.  
  
Her plans had been so thoroughly ruined. But... but... She was going to make them PAY.  
  
And pay they would.  
  
Medea sneezed, and bit of deer blood got expelled from there as well.  
  
...They would pay just as soon as she got off this gods forsaken rock.  
  
**TO BE CONTINUED... **  
  


* * *

  
  
**End of Act 6 Act 4.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND. THAT'S. A. WRAP! Season 4 of Atlantis is finished! 
> 
> Hooo. Boy. Man. That was... an ending of an Act, that's for sure. Set up and lead in for Continuum is all lined up and ready to go! Come Monday we're getting the first chapter of A6A5!  
\---  
Woolsey's been pushed to be Atlantis Expedition Leader. This final twist is canon, to a degree, and was a point I was going to keep intact given I laid foreshadowing for it aaaaaaaall the way back when Woolsey first appeared. He's got a few phone calls and Emails to Hammond to make, now. heh.  
\---  
Medea escaped, but she's in a frosty situation- seems to be a lot of villains wind up on frozen iceballs of planets for a short time every now and then. I mean, there was Anubis, Ba'al.... Now Medea? Yeah. Not fun, very chilly!  
\---  
The Building Collapse Rescue got dealt with much faster than in canon thanks to Argo. Funny how those time buying powers work out in the end, huh?  
\---  
Season 5 of Atlantis, in review so far, has a lot of episodes that I'm not sure I'm going to be able to actually adapt. I may have to take things slowly and craft a lot more original plots and episodes. Which means the pace may slow down once we get out of Continuum... or it may accelerate as I cut out episodes. It'll be something to mull over, I suppose. We'll find out once we get there, I guess! XD  
\---  
NEXT STORY: Act 6 Act 5: Breaking the Continuum. See you Monday!


End file.
